Corpses and killings don't normally herald joy on-screen, even in pop culture's current murder-mystery comedy wave, but Only Murders in the Building isn't just another amusing whodunnit. With the two Knives Out films so far plus two seasons of The Afterparty, there's no shortage of excellent detective tales that pair crimes with laughs — and killer concepts with stellar casts, too — however there's a particular warmth to Disney+'s Selena Gomez (The Dead Don't Die)-, Martin Short (Schmigadoon!)- and Steve Martin (It's Complicated)-starring take. In each of its three seasons to-date, this New York-set series has unleashed a motley crew of amateur gumshoes upon a shock death, with its key trio sifting through clues and podcasting the details. Along the way, it has also kept telling a winning story about second chances and finding the folks who understand you. Streaming from Tuesday, August 8, Only Murders in the Building's ten-episode third season relays that tale again, expanding its portraits of artist Mabel Mora (Gomez), theatre director Oliver Putnam (Short) and veteran actor Charles-Haden Savage (Martin) — and of their friendship. Once more, it embraces the power of chemistry, both within its narrative and for audiences. That isn't new; when the show debuted its first season in 2021, instantly becoming one of the best new arrivals of that year, it felt like the murder-mystery comedy genre's version of a cosy embrace because its three leads were so perfectly cast and their odd-throuple characters so full of sparks. While Mabel, Oliver and Charles wouldn't be a trio if it wasn't for a building evacuation, a murder and a love of true-crime podcasts, their connection isn't merely fuelled by chatting about the murders in their building, with crossing each other's paths changing their respective lives. There's a death in season three's initial episode — it first occurred in season two's dying moments, to be precise — and, of course, ample sleuthing and talking about it follows. But Only Murders in the Building's latest run also opens with Mabel, Oliver and Charles in places that they wouldn't be if they were solo. Largely, that applies emotionally: Mabel is more grounded and open, and now thinking about the future more than the past; Oliver has faced his career fears, resurrecting his showbiz bug with a new show; and Charles is less misanthropic and more willing to take new chances. They're also frequently in a different location physically thanks to Oliver's comeback production Death Rattle. No, the series isn't now called Only Murders in the Building and on Broadway. The victim: actor Ben Glenroy (Paul Rudd, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania), a silver-screen star best-known for playing a zoologist who fights crime by turning into a snake in the blockbuster CoBro franchise. (Yes, if those movies weren't just Only Murders in the Building's Ant-Man gag, existed IRL and starred Rudd, they'd be a hit.) Ben is Oliver's leading man and biggest name, but he's hardly lacking detractors within Death Rattle's cast and crew. Among the suspects that Mabel, Oliver and Charles swiftly look into is Loretta Durkin (Meryl Streep, Don't Look Up), who has spent her whole life trying to make it on the stage. Also earning their interest: influencer Kimber (Ashley Park, Joy Ride), one of the play's other talents; filmmaker Tobert (Jesse Williams, Grey's Anatomy), who was helming a Ben-centric behind-the-scenes documentary; and Ben's dutiful assistant Dickie (Jeremy Shamos, Dead Ringers), who is also his put-upon brother. From both 2021's first season and 2022's similarly smart, bright, astute and funny second effort, viewers already know the always-engaging Only Murders in the Building template from here. Season three still links back to the Arconia, still has its core trio scouring for hints and answers while feeding their podcast, still savvily satirises true-crime obsessions, and still charts Mabel, Oliver and Charles' ups and downs both individually and as a team. Using a theatre as a fellow setting doesn't simply mix things up, however, or work in ghosts and superstitions, precariously placed sandbags, a heap of new faces, and ample nooks and crannies. And, it's not only an excuse to also unfurl the third season as a hustle- and bustle-filled backstage piece as Oliver endeavours to rescue Death Rattle (complete with earworm-level musical numbers and the fact that the play is about a potentially homicidal baby). All of these things are true, and wonderfully and entertainingly weaved into the show. But season three also uses its jumps to Broadway to get the series and its main players pondering roles, performances and what represents a showstopper in their daily lives. Indeed, Only Murders in the Building isn't just warm and joyous because it celebrates the camaraderie of three unlikely pals discovering that life is a bit easier to handle — not to mention other people's deaths — when they have each other to lean on. It's cosy and delightful because it keeps deepening Mabel, Oliver and Charles amid the hunches, evidence hunts, red herrings, pointed fingers, annoyed cops and eager recordings, as aided by pitch-perfect performances by one of streaming's great current collaborations. Gomez, Short and Martin make that ace a threesome; whenever they're together, Only Murders in the Building could have them bickering and bantering about absolutely anything and it'd gleam. That said, as creators and writers, Martin and colleague John Hoffman (Grace and Frankie) aren't afraid to separate their main trio to explore who they truly are on their own and why they find such solace in each other, either. In season three, Mabel feels left out with Oliver and Charles getting all wrapped up in Death Rattle, for instance, and relies upon different partners in sleuthing. Navigating this change in the show's core dynamic delivers some of its most revelatory character insights — and, as always, thoughtful comedy. You can take Only Murders in the Building away from its namesake setting, even if temporarily, and it remains a gem. You can get its chief investigators going out on their own, again only fleetingly, and it's still a spirited unpacking of their friendship. And, this new season also makes plain that you can welcome a couple more megastars to the cast — in more than guest parts, pivotally — and everything still runs like comic clockwork. Rudd and Streep are dream additions, unsurprisingly. The former has a visible and hilarious blast leaning into Ben's egotistical ways and conveying why so many figures could've been responsible for his demise. The latter shimmers with melancholy among the suspects as Loretta faces the costs of a life spent chasing a dream. There are only wonderful star turns in this series, clearly — and you don't need to be a detective to come to that conclusion. Check out the trailer for Only Murders in the Building season three below: Only Murders in the Building's third season streams via Star on Disney+ from Tuesday, August 8. Read our full review of season two — and of the show's first season, too. Images: Patrick Harbron/Hulu.
When Greta Gerwig's Margot Robbie-starring Barbie takes audiences on an opening tour of Barbie Land, it makes one thing supremely clear: Barbie can be anything. The famous doll can be President, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist, a diplomat and a Supreme Court justice. It can be a mermaid, doctor, lawyer and Pulitzer-winner, too. Off-screen, Barbie the movie can be one helluva pink-hued pioneer in smashing records as well — including by reaching $1 billion at the box office globally. It took just 17 days from release for Barbie to notch up that figure, Variety reports. In the process, it earned that massive stack of cash faster than any other movie from Warner Bros, beating Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2's 19-day feat. Raking in all those takings from all those cinemagoers basking in Barbie's joys is all well and ace, but making Lady Bird and Little Women filmmaker Gerwig the first solo female director to hit the billion-dollar mark is a stunning achievement — the kind that really deserves a giant blowout party with all the Barbies, planned choreography and a bespoke song. [caption id="attachment_907779" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Caroline McCredie[/caption] Barbie is only the second film this year to crack a billion at the worldwide box office, after The Super Mario Bros Movie. Since the pandemic hit, only Top Gun: Maverick, Avatar: The Way of Water, Jurassic World Dominion and Spider-Man: No Way Home have also brought in that much money. Wondering where Barbie's Barbenheimer buddy sits? Christopher Nolan's vastly dissimilar atomic-bomb thriller Oppenheimer has hit half a billion at the time of writing. The Robbie- and Ryan Gosling (The Gray Man)-led film has beaten Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Fast X, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, The Little Mermaid, Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts' respective 2023 takings too — all of which sit alongside it, Mario and Oppenheimer in the global top ten right now. On the list of highest-grossing films of all time, only Frozen, Frozen II and Captain Marvel place higher with a female director at the helm — but all three were co-helmed with male filmmakers. Back when Barbie reach the half-billion mark on July 28, Warner Bros Pictures President of Domestic Distribution Jeff Goldstein and President of International Distribution Andrew Cripps said that "the extraordinary Greta Gerwig and her marvellous cast and crew have delivered an event for every kind of moviegoer everywhere in the world and, as critical praise continues to mount, what is quickly proving to be one of the best-reviewed movies of the year." "We couldn't be more thrilled or proud of these phenomenal results, and congratulate the filmmakers, cast and our colleagues at Mattel on this spectacular run, which — like Barbie herself — continues to defy all expectations." In Australia, Barbie made history almost instantly. The film notched up the biggest opening at the Australian box office for 2023 so far, raking in $21.5 million including preview screenings, over its first weekend — and earned the biggest opening weekend ever for a film directed by a female filmmaker. Alongside Oppenheimer, it also saw the Aussie box office score its biggest-ever Saturday and Sunday takings. And, it's likely to soon surpass The Super Mario Bros Movie as the highest-grossing film of 2023 in Australia so far. Yes, Barbie definitely can do anything. Check out the trailer below: Barbie is showing in Australian and New Zealand cinemas now. Read our review. Via Variety.
His hotel concierges are charismatic and committed, while his lobby boys are devoted and delightful. His foxes are nothing short of fantastic, and his dogs are as resourceful as they are adorable. Every time he turns his attention to a family dynamic — be it siblings, strained parent-child relationships or friendships so close they feel like bonds of blood — dysfunction always reigns supreme. And, when all of the above occurs, it does so within immaculately symmetrical yet immensely eccentric frames. Yes, we're talking about Wes Anderson, and the distinctive body of work the American filmmaker has splashed across cinema screens over the past 27 years. Usually chronicling some kind of caper, often featuring a retro 60s and 70s soundtrack, and styled so meticulously that each image could happily hang on anyone's wall (in fact, he's even curated museum exhibitions), his films are like no one else's. Often brought to life by a familiar cast of faces — Owen Wilson, Luke Wilson, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Anjelica Huston, Tilda Swinton, Willem Dafoe, Adrien Brody, Bob Balaban and Edward Norton, to name a few — they firmly resonate on their own frequency. And, understandably so, they've amassed quite a following. But, from a filmography to-date that spans from the indie charm of Bottle Rocket to the out-of-this-world antics of Asteroid City, which is the best? As always, that's a subjective question. Like ranking Studio Ghibli movies, it's also a task made all the more difficult by a simple fact: Wes Anderson has never made a bad film, not once. That said, while some are flatout masterpieces that will always stand the test of time, others are entertaining but don't necessarily demand multiple rewatches. That's what we found when we revisited the 11 films currently on his resume, and soaked in his inimitable cinematic creations. And, here are the results: our rundown of Anderson's big-screen output from worst — again, not that there's any such thing as a terrible Anderson flick — to best. 11. MOONRISE KINGDOM By virtue of their format, a ranked list always requires something to come in last place. Moonrise Kingdom earns that honour on Wes Anderson's filmography — not because it isn't great, which it is, but because it's the movie on his resume that sticks in the mind the least. A bittersweet story about first love and finding a home, it's also the rare Anderson film that feels as much a part of its genre as part of the director's oeuvre. In other words, it's definitely an Anderson flick, but it also charts rather recognisable coming-of-age territory. Still, watching 12-year-olds Suzy Bishop (Kara Hayward, Us) and Sam Shakusky (Jared Gilman, Paterson) set the New England island of New Penzance aflutter when they run off in the name of romance is typically charming. Moonrise Kingdom streams via Neon, Google Play and iTunes. Read our full review. 10. THE DARJEELING LIMITED In Anderson's fifth film, three brothers take a train across India in the eponymous locomotive. During their trip, Francis (Owen Wilson, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania), Jack (Jason Schwartzman, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse) and Peter (Adrien Brody, Poker Face) work through their sibling baggage while literally carting around matching orange-hued, monogrammed baggage. It's been a year since they last crossed paths at their father's funeral, and life isn't treating any of them kindly — with Anderson and co-writers Schwartzman and Roman Coppola balancing the brothers' existential malaise with episodic antics both on the train and off. As stylish as any Anderson-directed feature, The Darjeeling Limited is served best by its performances, as well as its touching blend of sadness and humour. The Darjeeling Limited streams via Disney+, Google Play and iTunes. 9. BOTTLE ROCKET When Anderson made his feature directorial debut back in 1996, he did so with this crime-comedy caper about three friends planning a series of heists in the absence of any other direction in their lives. Based on a short film of the same name that he helmed two years prior, and co-written with Owen Wilson, who also stars, Bottle Rocket establishes many of the filmmaker's trademarks from the outset — including his penchant for witty interactions, as well as his love of dressing his characters in coordinated outfits. Owen Wilson plays Dignan, the driving force; however, as his recently voluntarily institutionalised best friend Anthony, this is Luke Wilson's (Fired on Mars) time to shine. A third Wilson, their elder brother Andrew (Father Figures), also pops up, because of course he does. Bottle Rocket streams via iTunes. 8. ISLE OF DOGS A literal underdog tale about scrappy canines, a plucky orphan and a pooch-hating politician with an evil scheme, Isle of Dogs is one of the most Wes Anderson-esque movies the filmmaker has ever made. Filled with heart, humour and witty dialogue, this doggone delight is constructed with the tail-wagging enthusiasm of man's best friend — and, as well as sporting all the beloved Anderson traits (quirky quests, spirited characters, symmetrical compositions, a distinctive colour palette and a huge cast among them), it tells a stellar story. The setup: when his uncle, Megasaki City's mayor, bans all dogs to Trash Island, 12-year-old Atari (Koyu Rankin, Raymond's Salon) risks his life to follow his four-legged companion. At every moment, the director fills his narrative to the brim like an overflowing bowl of dog treats, spoiling viewers like he'd spoil his own animal companion. Isle of Dogs streams via Disney+, Google Play and iTunes. Read our full review. 7. THE LIFE AQUATIC WITH STEVE ZISSOU The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou will always be Anderson's undersung gem. It's so quintessentially Anderson and, because it's his longest film, it's guilty of sprawling — but every absurdist moment is a marvel. The premise, casting Bill Murray (Ghostbusters: Afterlife) as a Jacques Cousteau-style oceanographer intent on getting revenge on the just-discovered jaguar shark that killed his best friend, is instantly amusing. Trapping a crew of offbeat folks at sea while Zissou pursues his quest provides plenty of comic as well as thoughtful moments, too. The soundtrack of David Bowie songs, including Portuguese-language covers by The Life Aquatic co-star Seu Jorge, sets the pitch-perfect mood. And, visually, Anderson's pans through a cross-section of the ship are always striking. Also, no one has ever watched this film and not immediately wanted a pair of Team Zissou sneakers. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou streams via Disney+ and iTunes. 6. RUSHMORE In Anderson's 1998 breakout film, there's nothing that Max Fischer (Jason Schwartzman) loves more than Rushmore Academy. As the director conveys so engagingly, his 15-year-old protagonist has spent the bulk of his life at the exclusive private school — mainly starting extra-curricular clubs, as well as annoying both the headmaster (Brian Cox, Succession) and his classmates with his enthusiasm, all while barely caring about his grades. Then, just as he befriends a wealthy company owner (Bill Murray), Max falls for the new first-grade teacher (Olivia Williams, The Father). One of the best of Anderson's coming-of-age films, Rushmore deploys both Schwartzman and Murray to perfection, while weaving a smart yet also often dark comedy about learning to adjust your dreams. Rushmore streams via Disney+ and iTunes. 5. FANTASTIC MR FOX Combine Anderson, a magnificent Roald Dahl-penned all-ages story and stunning stop-motion animation, and you get a match made in cinematic heaven. Dahl wrote the acclaimed 1970 children's novel about the canny and cunning titular fox, of course, while Anderson brings it to vibrant life with a voice cast that includes George Clooney (Ticket to Paradise), Meryl Streep (Don't Look Up), Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe (The Northman) and Owen Wilson (and via a script co-written with Frances Ha, Marriage Story and White Noise's Noah Baumbach, too). While Fantastic Mr Fox is Anderson's first animated feature, he's a natural when it comes to witty comedy paired with playfulness and a whole lot of sight gags. As for the story, it follows Mr Fox's (Clooney) efforts to outsmart a trio of mean farmers — and it's told here with energy, personality and Anderson's usual flair. Fantastic Mr Fox streams via Disney+, Netflix, Google Play and iTunes. 4. THE FRENCH DISPATCH Editors fictional and real may disagree — The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun's Arthur Howitzer Jr (Bill Murray) among them — but it's easy to use Wes Anderson's name as both an adjective and a verb. In a sentence that'd never get printed in his latest film's titular tome (and mightn't in The New Yorker, its inspiration, either), The French Dispatch is another one of the most Wes Anderson movies Wes Anderson has ever Wes Andersoned. It spins three main stories and a couple of delightful interludes like it's laying out pieces from its titular magazine, and it's as symmetrical, idiosyncratic, thoughtful and delightful as the writer/director's work has even been. And the cast is packed, and glorious in offbeat performances as always, with Tilda Swinton (Three Thousand Years of Longing), Timothée Chalamet (Bones and All), Benicio Del Toro (No Sudden Move) and Jeffrey Wright (The Batman) among the standouts. The French Dispatch streams via Disney+, Google Play and iTunes. Read our full review. 3. ASTEROID CITY Asteroid City is Anderson's 11th movie, also a desert spot known for a hefty crater caused 5000 years ago and a play about said locale. As the film itself tells viewers direct to-camera, however, the latter two — the setting and the theatre show — definitely aren't real, even within the world of the feature itself. Anderson gets especially playful in this film about a Junior Stargazer convention, the motley crew of folks that it brings to town in September 1955 and the otherworldly interloper who causes chaos. Staging a play within a TV show within a movie, he gets as smart and moving as his work has ever been to contemplate art, authenticity, and the emotions found in and processed through works of creativity, too. As the closest thing that the ensemble piece has to leads, Jason Schwartzman and Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow) are astronomically spectacular, as are the film's look, feel, insightful musings, sense of humour and crater-sized impact. Asteroid City releases in New Zealand cinemas on Thursday, August 10. Read our full review. 2. THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL Many a well-known actor has graced Anderson's frames. Most have done so multiple times, with Bill Murray appearing in nine of his 11 films thus far. But no one has put in a performance quite like Ralph Fiennes (The Menu) as M. Gustave in The Grand Budapest Hotel. As the dedicated concierge at the titular holiday spot in the Republic of Zubrowka, he's a powerhouse — as amusing as he is charming, vibrant, confident, soulful, wily and determined. Indeed, it's no wonder that Anderson lets this layered tale of friendship, war, fascism and tragedy hang off his leading man. The rest of his ensemble cast works a treat, including Saoirse Ronan (See How They Run) and then-newcomer Tony Revolori (Servant), and this is one of Anderson's most aesthetically stunning creations. Still, without Fiennes, it would've lacked quite a bit of its ample magic. The Grand Budapest Hotel streams via Disney+, Google Play and iTunes. Read our full review. 1. THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS In his first two films, Anderson focused on characters striving for greatness, be it through pulling off heists in Bottle Rocket or tying their identity to their school in Rushmore. In The Royal Tenenbaums, the titular family's three children were all once great. In fact, they were child prodigies. But as adults, their lives have seen more disappointment and joy, a truth that stern widower and finance whiz Chas (Ben Stiller, Locked Down), fiercely private playwright Margot (Gwyneth Paltrow, The Politician) and ex-tennis star Richie (Luke Wilson) are forced to face just as their father (Gene Hackman, Welcome to Mooseport) resurfaces and their mother (Anjelica Huston, John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum) prepares to get remarried. Although undeniably whimsical, it's the most melancholy, poignant and deeply felt of the director's features. And, in its visuals and its performances, it's also oh-so-rich with affecting detail. The Royal Tenenbaums streams via Disney+, Google Play and iTunes.
In The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, blooms are rarely out of sight and petals never evade attention. Adapted from Holly Ringland's 2018 novel, the seven-part Australian miniseries is set on a farm that cultivates native flora. It dubs the women who tend to them, an ensemble from various backgrounds largely seeking refuge from abusive pasts, "flowers" as well. Whether stem by stem or in bunches, its characters use florets as their own secret language. And yet, as much as bouquets linger, getting all things floral on the mind, star Sigourney Weaver burns rather than blossoms. Fire is another of the Prime Video newcomer's strong recurring motifs, so it's still fitting that its biggest name is as all-consuming as a blaze. As seen via streaming from Friday, August 4, Weaver needs to be that scorching: this is a story about endeavouring to survive while weathering woes that ignite everything in their path. She also draws upon almost five decades of thriving before the camera, often playing steely, smart and sometimes-raging women. Her on-screen career began sparking with Alien, the film that made her an instant icon. Since then, everyone has heard her performances scream. Weaver's resume also boasts the Ghostbusters franchise and fellow 80s hit Working Girl, everything from Copycat and Holes to Baby Mama and My Salinger Year, and the Avatar saga — playing a 14-year-old Na'vi girl in Avatar: The Way of Water included — and, in The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, she's again dazzling. Flowers frequently surround Weaver's June Hart far and wide, and in all hues and shapes. With a carefully selected cutting — be it of wattle, Sturt's desert pea or other Australian natives — she can say all she needs to. Indeed, June is a woman of few words if she can help it. The shotgun-toting matriarch of Thornfield Flower Farm, she knows how to make her presence felt as much as the most striking bloom, and favours action over talk. That's what the eponymous Alice (Ayla Browne, Nine Perfect Strangers) quickly learns about her grandmother when she arrives at the property following a tragedy. She too becomes one of the farm's flowers, moving in after losing her pregnant mother Agnes (Tilda Cobham-Hervey, Hotel Mumbai) and violent father Clem (Charlie Vickers, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power). This is a tale about traumas, secrets and lies that lurk as deeply as the earth — about the choices and cycles that take root in such fraught soil, too. When nine-year-old Alice relocates fresh from hospital, her whole existence has been darkened by her dad's temper, but the determined June, her doting partner Twig (Leah Purcell, The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson) and their adopted daughter Candy Blue (Frankie Adams, The Expanse) aim to shower the girl with sunlight in their own manners. You can't just bury problems, however, then hope that something vivid and colourful will grow over the top. Dedicating its first half to Alice's childhood and its second to 14 years later, when she's in her early twenties (Alycia Debnam-Carey, Fear the Walking Dead) and making her way away from Thornfield, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart understands this immutable fact in its core. When it spends time with its namesake while she's young, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart sees a slip of a kid who dreams of an escape, snatches what solace she can from borrowed books and loses her voice literally when fire sweeps in. The show's initial episodes witness the forces influencing Alice's life — some stormy, some luminous, many in-between — including as librarian Sally Morgan (Asher Keddie, Rams) and her police-officer husband John (Alexander England, Black Snow) contemplate battling June for custody. When it leaps forward to watch Alice flee all that she knows after a devastating revelation, it spies her heading to the Red Centre, collecting a stray pup along the journey, switching from floriography to being a park ranger, and falling for colleague Dylan (Sebastián Zurita, How to Survive Being Single). It also spots how the past keeps finding new routes to sprout no matter where she is or what she's doing. Add The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart alongside Deadloch, The English and Big Little Lies on the growing list of series that interrogate the brutality that too often surrounds women. Where Kate McCartney and Kate McLennan's excellent fellow Australian series adopted humour and satire, and the Emily Blunt-led series was a western, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart joins Big Little Lies in embracing melodrama. Forget the term's soap-opera connotations; the best examples understand that some stories demand telling with heightened emotions and by plunging viewers into a world of feelings, but can also be relayed thoughtfully, smartly and sensitively. That's exactly what showrunner Sarah Lambert (Lambs of God), fellow writers Kim Wilson (A League of Their Own) and Kirsty Fisher (Deadloch), and director Glendyn Ivin (Penguin Bloom) perfect in a series that's constantly probing, pondering and empathising. Still, it's easy to see how a lesser version of The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart could've played out — and how formulaic, neat and straightforward it would've proven. Thankfully, the show that's reached streaming queues always digs in, flourishes in its own patch and turns its specific elements, familiar as some may be, into something powerful. There's no shying away from the horrors that haunt the series' characters, some passing down through generations, others tied to Australia's atrocious treatment of First Nations people and many sadly remaining far too prevalent IRL. There's no ignoring the potency of its mysteries as savage events beget long-hidden truths. And, there's no looking away from cinematographer Sam Chiplin's (The Stranger) meticulous imagery, which enthrals and immerses whether surveying the Australian landscape, focusing on minutiae, or peering intently at Weaver and her co-stars. As phenomenal as Weaver is, she isn't short on excellent company in a miniseries flowering with lived-in performances. Also portraying formidable women with harrowing histories that will never wilt, Purcell, Adams and Keddie always have pain and perseverance simmering in their eyes even when they're at their most caring. Conveying the fields upon fields of troubles and struggles shaping Alice via their expressions and physicality, Browne and Debnam-Carey are both exceptional — especially the former when nothing can be spoken, and the latter while navigating another fight to truly have a voice. Those blooms that are used to communicate? The farm's women have a dictionary, The Thornfield Language of Flowers, explaining them. With its cast, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart takes a leaf out of that book, too, knowing how to say everything even when no one utters a thing. Check out the full trailer for The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart below: The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart streams via Prime Video from Friday, August 4. Images: H Stewart.
Whether they attend Truham Grammar School or the neighbouring Higgs Girls School, most of Heartstopper's teenagers have much to say, often via text through their phones. But perhaps the most apt line of the entire Netflix series so far is uttered by Isaac Henderson (first-timer Tobie Donovan), the quiet bibliophile among the show's main friendship group, who almost always has a printed tome in his hands. "I read all these books where people fall in love and I still have absolutely no idea," Isaac advises in the web-to-page-to-screen hit's second season, which streams from Thursday, August 3. As a webcomic, a graphic novel and also a TV series that proved an instant smash when it debuted in 2022, Alice Oseman's creation couldn't better embody this reflection. Heartstopper is Isaac's yearning and confusion turned into art, even as the series remains sweet and joyous in every episode. Isaac gets his own storyline in season two, exploring what that lament means to him and why as he unpacks his own identity, and it's among the show's weighty narrative threads. But everyone in Heartstopper, from central couple Charlie Spring (fellow debutant Joe Locke) and Nick Nelson (Kit Connor, Little Joe) to their maybe-more-than-friends pals Tao Xu (newcomer William Gao) and Elle Argent (Yasmin Finney), plus the latter's classmates Tara Jones (Corinna Brown, Daphne) and Darcy Olsson (Kizzy Edgell), live and breathe his telling statement in their own ways. Tales about getting swept away by first love adore conveying the rush, buzz and head-over-heels effervescence evoked by the pivotal experience. Awkwardness often factors in, but rarely the reality that no one ever truly knows what they're doing when it comes to romance. A chronicle of coming of age and also coming out, Heartstopper not only centres the truth that every teen is just doing their best and following their heart — it makes it one of the show's core guiding concepts. And mostly, usually with each other's help as they traverse the full onslaught of adolescent emotions, this supremely likeable, relatable crew of high schoolers knows that they don't, can't and won't ever have all the answers. Brought to the screen by Oseman as the series' creator and writer, plus director Euros Lyn (Dream Horse) behind the lens — together, they've respectively penned and helmed all 16 episodes, eight in season one and that amount again in season two — Heartstopper spent its debut offering watching Charlie and Nick gravitate into each other's orbits. When the pair were sat next to each other in form class at the beginning of a new term, a friendship and then more swelled. Season two finds them officially and happily boyfriends, with Nick's mother Sarah (Olivia Colman, Secret Invasion) supportive about Nick's bisexuality after he came out to her in the last batch of instalments. Telling the rest of the world when he chooses to is part of his latest journey, always with the protective Charlie by his side. There's an idealism to Heartstopper — fantasy, too — and Oseman knows, welcomes and cultivates it. When an adult mentions missing out on "those beautiful gay teenage experiences" partway through its new run, the series recognises that its vision of being young and queer typically paints with rosy colours. But a story about being an LGBTQIA+ high schooler can be optimistic and earnest, as well as endlessly swoonworthy, while also seeing the full spectrum of complexities that surround its characters. Heartstopper isn't just keenly aware that no one understands what comes next when their heart starts a-fluttering; it's equally as cognisant that big, small, cute and complicated moments will each pop up. Insightfully, it revels in them all. It lingers in the fireworks of gloriously requited crushes, the comfort of hanging out with the one you love, the endearing delights of everyday gestures and the intricacies of sharing who you are — and thoughtfully. If and how Nick will come out to his other friends, his domineering older brother David (Jack Barton, War of the Worlds) and his absent father Stephane (Thibault de Montalembert, All Quiet on the Western Front) gets Heartstopper contemplating conformity, societal pressure, homophobia and specifically biphobia. Nick simply wants to be himself and not to have to hide his relationship with Charlie, with the show digging into the many layers that come with something that should be effortless in a perfect world. Oseman also spends season two slowly unfurling the consequences of Charlie's own traumatic coming-out experience, which linger even as he's over the moon about being with Nick. And, as Tara and Darcy get to the stage of saying "I love you" within their confident romance, Heartstopper season two plunges into how being out and proud at school doesn't mean that someone has zero troubles. Like Isaac, Tara and Darcy receive a bigger arc this time around. Nuanced and mature, their plot thread also muses on internalised expectations, carefully composed appearances and feeling like there's only one way to express your sense of self. Heartstopper's second season isn't merely giving Nick and Charlie's friends more substantial tales now that its key duo is comfortably a couple, however — and transferring the will-they-won't-they tension to movie buff Tao and aspiring artist Elle, who wants to move to a dedicated art school, in the process — but continuing to dive deeper into its young hearts running free. As its key aesthetic flourish, season two still draws its feelings on literally and sincerely, via animated hearts, leaves, sparks, rainbows and other gorgeous visual representations, showing what's bubbling inside Charlie, Nick and company even when they're not saying it. It still uses the rest of its imagery, whether glowing or shadowy, to do the same. It astutely grounds its romances and self-discovery quests in daily high-school life again, including sleepovers, sibling spats, parental rules, schoolyard disputes, end-of-year exams, parties, prom and a Paris trip. And, it remains home to some of the most open performances in the teen genre, especially from the exceptionally well-cast Locke and Connor. Yes, Heartstopper's second spin is just as delightful and heartfelt as its first. Its only room for improvement: needing more of Tori (Jenny Walser, Call the Midwife), Charlie's watchful and intensely caring Wednesday Addams-esque elder sister, whether in the already-greenlit season three or an adaptation of Oseman's debut novel Solitaire. Check out the trailer for Heartstopper season two below: Heartstopper season two streams via Netflix from Thursday, August 3. Read our review of season one. Images: Netflix.
The year was 2005. The album: Hold Your Colour. That's when Pendulum hit the big time, and also why. The Perth-born drum-and-bass group not only became a homegrown sensation with their debut record and its tracks 'Slam', 'Tarantula' and 'Fasten Your Seatbelts', but made it into the UK Top 40 Singles Chart as well. Now, the year is 2023. Almost two decades after that breakout album, the Perth-born electronic favourites have just announced their latest Down Under tour. Five stops, two countries, plenty of echoing arenas: that's what's in store when Pendulum play Australia and New Zealand in October. This'll be the first time that the band has performed across either country since 2021, with dates booked in Auckland, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane and Sydney. At each show, Pendulum won't just be giving Hold Your Colour's tunes a whirl, but also songs from 2008's In Silico and 2010's Immersion. Expect to hear new single 'Halo' featuring Bullet for My Valentine singer Matt Tuck get a spin, too. Currently comprised of Rob Swire, Gareth McGrillien, Peredur ap Gwynedd and KJ Sawka, Pendulum heads home with experience playing huge overseas festivals such as Glastonbury, Creamfields, Coachella, Rock Am Ring, Reading and Leeds, and also recently headlining Ultra Miami. The band went on hiatus from early 2012, with Swire and McGrillien focusing on side project Knife Party, before starting to reunite in 2015. Joining Pendulum on their latest Aussie and Aotearoa tour: fellow Perth-bred drum and bass talent ShockOne, aka Karl Thomas. PENDULUM 2023 AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND TOUR: Friday, October 6 — Spark Arena, Auckland Saturday, October 7 — John Cain Arena, Melbourne Sunday, October 8 — RAC Arena, Perth Thursday, October 12 — Riverstage, Brisbane Friday, October 13 — Hordern Pavilion, Sydney Pendulum is touring Australia and New Zealand in October 2023 — head to the tour website for pre-sale tickets from Friday, August 4 (at 11am local time for Australian shows and 1pm NZST for Auckland), or from 11am local time on Monday, August 7 for general sales. Images: Luke Dyson.
Maybe you're a Goop devotee. Perhaps you're fond of Gwyneth Paltrow as an Oscar-winning actor. Or, you could just be interested in stepping inside a star's guesthouse. Whether you're a wellness diehard, a movie fan or have always wanted to spend a night in the kind of place that only famous faces usually inhabit, Airbnb has a stay for you: Paltrow's Montecito guesthouse. The accommodation-sharing platform loves drumming up attention by offering unique places to slumber. Will this one come with a candle that smells like Paltrow's vagina or orgasm? Given that they're very real products that Goop sells, perhaps. Whatever scent wafts through the air at this Californian property, whoever scores the one-night-only booking will indeed be bunking down in the Seven, Shakespeare in Love and Iron Man star's home. And, she'll even be there to greet you. Airbnb adds this extremely short-term listing to its roster after also offering up Barbie's Malibu DreamHouse, the Ted Lasso pub and Japan's World Heritage-listed Suganuma Village this year. Before that, the service has featured Hobbiton, the Paris theatre that inspired The Phantom of the Opera, the Bluey house, the Moulin Rouge! windmill, the Scooby-Doo Mystery Machine, The Godfather mansion, the South Korean estate where BTS filmed In the Soop and the Sanderson sisters' Hocus Pocus cottage. For its full Goop-style getaway, Airbnb has tasked Paltrow with curating the experience, which is open to up to two guests on Saturday, September 9— and also costs $0 (so, yes, it's free). The booking includes staying in the guesthouse, which comes with a kitchen and living room as well as a bedroom; a spa day using Paltrow-picked Goop beauty products; Goop-inspired meals and snacks; and a guided transcendental meditation session. Reservations open at 3am AEST / 5am NZST on Wednesday, August 16. If you nab the place and you'd like to take the Goop-iness home with you afterwards, you'll also be given Goop products "to continue your journey towards emotional health long after your stay". Those are Paltrow's own words. "My Montecito home is my sanctuary for respite and mental clarity. I go there to recharge, to daydream about what we're building at goop and to reconnect with my family and treasured friends," the surprise Airbnb host also noted. "Whether you're seeking a place for unexpected connection or for well-deserved solitude and reflection, when you come to stay, I hope you'll get as much joy out of the home as I do. Plus, I've loaded up your stay with some of my favourite Goop essentials to nourish your body, mind and soul." The usual caveat applies, of course: if you do get the reservation, the cost of getting to Montecito and back again is all on you. For more information about Airbnb's Goop-Inspired Stay with Gwyneth Paltrow on Saturday, September 9, or to apply to book at 3am AEST / 5am NZST on Wednesday, August 16, head to the Airbnb website. Images: Stephen Paul. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
Attention all creatives and lovers of ideas — we've got great news. The weekend-long Auckland Zinefest Market is coming back for two massive days this month. This jam-packed weekend will be dedicated to celebrating the lively hub of Tāmaki Makaurau zinemakers and their craft. Zines play a big role in Auckland's art community. Their ability to provide platforms to push accessibility and innovation has produced unique, bite-sized pieces of creativity — and served to drive diverse and interesting forms of self-expression. After attracting over 5,000 people in 2022, this year's instalment is expected to be even bigger with the return of international travel and the works of 120-plus zinemakers on display. Plus, there will be a bunch of free workshops running throughout August expanding the festival's offerings. From Saturday, August 5–Sunday, August 6, you'll find a wide range of artwork, poetry, travelogues, comics, fanzines and more to explore alongside like-minded creatives at the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki. And the best part — it's free entry. "Our aim is to foster a supportive and inclusive space for self-publishing artists to showcase their talents," said the event's co-chair Catalina Paz Nunez Elevancini. "It is not just an event, it's a celebration of creativity and an invitation to experience the diverse and expressive art culture of our city." The market weekend will be open from 11am to 4pm daily, so you'll have two full days to immerse yourself in everything zine-related. Whether you're an avid collector or just learning about zine culture and are ready to delve headfirst into its exciting world, these markets will have something for you. Head over to Wellesley Street East in Auckland's CBD to catch Auckland Zinefest between Saturday, August 5–Sunday, August 6.
Before Snow Machine became everyone's excuse to hit up Queenstown for a stint of music and skiing, the festival launched its mix of tunes in wintry climes in Japan. That was back in 2020 and it hasn't been back there since — until 2024 rolls around. Although Snow Machine Queenstown is still to come for 2023, Snow Machine Japan has locked in its return for Monday, February 26–Saturday, March 2 in Hakuba. On the just-dropped bill: everyone from Diplo and Marc Rebillet to Bob Moses and Todd Terje, plus Japanese talents Risa Taniguchi, Satoshi Tomiie and Shinichi Osawa. Snow Machine Japan might return when summer will be shifting into autumn Down Under, but it's one helluva excuse for a frosty holiday during the northern hemisphere's winter — and Japan's snow season. No matter where it's taking place, this is the hottest festival for the colder months, packed with a snow-filled week of music and adventure. Attendees will be treated to action-packed days on the slopes, après ski events, and a hefty roster of international acts against an idyllic backdrop. And, because this is Japan, onsen trips, sake aplenty and yakitori bites are also on offer. Other than the wintry setting, one of the things that sets Snow Machine apart from other music fests is being able to book your entire getaway with your ticket. Packages span five or seven nights of accommodation, and include a festival ticket across the entire event, plus a four-day lift pass for Goryu & Hakuba 47, Tsugaike, Iwatake and Happo One. A word of warning: unsurprisingly, the packages are popular. Although the Snow Machine Japan 2024 lineup has only just been announced, packages are already 85-percent sold out. If you're keen to take care of your own place to slumber and just nab a festival ticket, that's an option as well. Lift passes, rentals, lessons and activities can be then booked on top at additional cost, and you can opt for VIP access including heating and seating while you party if you're feeling particularly cashed up. SNOW MACHINE JAPAN 2024 LINEUP: Bob Moses (club set) Busy P Claptone Denis Sulta Diplo Ewan McVica George Fitzgerald (DJ set) GG Magree Marc Rebillet Nina Kraviz Risa Taniguchi Satoshi Tomiie Shinichi Osawa Todd Terje (DJ set) Reuben Styles and Danny Clayton present First Base Snow Machine Japan 2024 will be held from Monday, February 26–Saturday, March 2 in Hakuba. Presale tickets go on sale from 12pm AEST on Thursday, August 3, with general tickets available from 12pm AEST on Friday, August 4. For more information, visit the festival's website. Images: Pat Stevenson. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
If there's ever going to be any more Indiana Jones movies following this year's Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, bringing Ke Huy Quan back as Short Round should be the number-one mission. For now, Disney — which is behind the Indy flicks — is enlisting the Everything Everywhere All At Once Oscar-winner in another of its big franchises. And, it's plunging him into more multiverse madness. When Loki finally returns for it second season this spring, Quan will join the cast as OB, who works for the Time Variance Authority. In the just-dropped full trailer for the show's long-awaited comeback, he isn't surprised when the Marvel Cinematic Universe's God of Mischief is glitching. In fact, he's on hand to help. Continuing Loki's small-screen exploits two years since the show that bears the Tom Hiddleston (The Essex Serpent)-played character's name first debuted in 2021 — when it was just the third MCU series to hit Disney+ after WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier — this second season grapples with the aftermath of that initial batch of episodes. Cue a fight for the TVA, alongside Mobius M Mobius (Owen Wilson, Marry Me), Hunter B-15 (Wunmi Mosaku, Black Mirror) and more. Also set to pop up: Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino, The Electrical Life of Louis Wain), Judge Renslayer (Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Summerland) and Miss Minutes (Tara Strong, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3). As also seen in the trailer, Jonathon Majors (Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania) makes an appearance. Calendars out: after Secret Invasion aired in June and July, Loki will start streaming via Disney+ from. Friday, October 6, making good on the "Loki will return in season two" promise. Also joining the MCU's TV ranks this year is newcomer Echo, a Hawkeye spinoff, which will arrive on Wednesday, November 29 — and enjoy a first for the MCU on streaming. Disney+ usually drops a few episodes at once for each show, then unfurls the rest weekly afterwards; however, this series about Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox) will arrive all at once on the same day. Check out the trailer for Loki season two below: Loki season two will premiere on Disney+ on Friday, October 6. Top image: © Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.
We all love a good brunch, and sure, a bircher muesli bowl is a decent way to start the day. Admit it though — sometimes you're after something a little extra. Something like copious amounts of prawn dumplings, roast duck, pork buns and egg tarts. It's fortunate, then, that Wellington's yum cha game is decidedly on point. It's time to swap the latkes for the lazy Susan, the halloumi for the har gow, because here are the best places to get your dim sum fix in the capital. DRAGONS Utter "Wellington" and "yum cha" in the same breath and most likely Dragons will be one of the first names to come to mind. A favourite stomping ground among office groups around the city, there's a good reason why Dragons has earned this Pavlovian association among Wellingtonians. Boasting a spacious interior decked out to the nines in rich oriental decor, Dragons is simply a top place for a dim sum feast in Wellington. They offer one of the widest ranges of yum cha dishes in town, the food is packed with flavour and quality, and every now and then, someone carts around a beer trolley. It's really hard not to like the place. 25 Tory Street, Te Aro. REGAL A stalwart in the capital's yum cha scene, Regal has been loved by generations of Wellingtonians and it's easy to see why. Venture up the dingy stairway and enter a haven where you can munch dumplings all morning while taking in views of a bustling Courtenay Place. You'll find all the yum cha favourites at Regal, but they're especially good with the fried stuff — make sure you try their fried bread. Their roast meats come in very generous portions too. The unusual layout of the restaurant floor means the trolleys can't reach some tables, but they've combatted this problem by taking the food around in trays as well. It's this kind of dogged determination and ingenuity that has helped Regal remain a firm favourite. 7 Courtenay Place, Te Aro. MAJESTIC Majestic in name and majestic by nature, this is another yum cha hotspot in the heart of Courtenay Place. Bizarrely, their website claims they're "not the best Chinese restaurant in town". Our opinion is that they needn't be so humble. Apart from consistently serving up delicious Chinese bites, Majestic is renowned for its excellent service and good-natured vibes. It's perhaps a slightly more compact venue than other yum cha places, but it's a very child-friendly restaurant — important when you're trying to get the whole clan chowing down on endless siu mai. 11 Courtenay Place, Te Aro. GRAND CENTURY Grand Century has long divided opinion among Wellingtonians, but make no mistake — they've been in the game for ages, and they're not going anywhere soon. The service can be iffy at times, but when they're on form, they're hard to beat. Their menu spans the whole yum cha spectrum and you won't have trouble getting what you want, whether it's barbecue pork buns, roast duck or steamed rice rolls that get you frothing. Their coconut buns are very highly regarded as well. It's just as well the restaurant itself is massive: it seats over 300 people, with two large private rooms available for hire. We still recommend you book ahead though, as it can get packed on weekends. 84 Tory Street, Te Aro. BIG THUMB Big Thumb gets two big thumbs up from us. Having opened around 30 years ago and undergone a major makeover since then, they're more committed than ever to keeping Wellingtonians happy and well-fed on weekend mid-mornings. The spacious interior can seem a bit bare, but don't let that put you off. Big Thumb offers a tantalising array of dishes that can easily hold their own in Wellington's competitive yum cha scene. A specialist dim sum chef hailing from Hong Kong oversees Big Thumb's yum cha operations, making sure everything leaving the kitchen is top notch. The tables also have a handy order sheet, complete with photos, allowing you to directly ask for any specific dish that tickles your fancy. 9 Allen Street, Te Aro.
Not all that long ago, the idea of getting cosy on your couch, clicking a few buttons, and having thousands of films and television shows at your fingertips seemed like something out of science fiction. Now, it's just an ordinary night — whether you're virtually gathering the gang to text along, cuddling up to your significant other or shutting the world out for some much needed me-time. Of course, given the wealth of options to choose from, there's nothing ordinary about making a date with your chosen streaming platform. The question isn't "should I watch something?" — it's "what on earth should I choose?". Hundreds of titles are added to Aotearoa's online viewing services each and every month, all vying for a spot on your must-see list. And, so you don't spend 45 minutes scrolling and then being too tired to actually commit to anything, we're here to help. We've spent plenty of couch time watching our way through this month's latest batch — and, from the latest and greatest through to old and recent favourites, here are our picks for your streaming queue from July's haul. BRAND NEW STUFF YOU CAN WATCH IN FULL NOW THE BEAR The more time that anyone spends in the kitchen, the easier that whipping up their chosen dish gets. The Bear season two is that concept in TV form, even if the team at The Original Beef of Chicagoland don't always live it as they leap from running a beloved neighbourhood sandwich joint to opening a fine-diner, and fast. The hospitality crew that was first introduced in the best new show of 2022 isn't lacking in culinary skills or passion. But when chaos surrounds you constantly, as bubbled and boiled through The Bear's Golden Globe-winning, Emmy-nominated season-one frames, not everything always goes to plan. That was only accurate on-screen for Carmen 'Carmy' Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White, Shameless) and his colleagues — aka sous chef Sydney (Ayo Edebiri, I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson), baker-turned-pastry chef Marcus (Lionel Boyce, Hap and Leonard), veteran line cooks Tina (Liza Colón-Zayas, In Treatment) and Ebraheim (Edwin Lee Gibson, Fargo), resident Mr Fixit Neil Fak (IRL chef Matty Matheson), and family pal Richie aka Cousin (Ebon Moss-Bachrach, No Hard Feelings). For viewers, the series' debut run was as perfect a piece of television as anyone can hope for. Excellent news: season two is better. The Bear serves up another sublime course of comedy, drama and "yes chef!"-exclaiming antics across its sizzling second season. Actually make that ten more courses, one per episode, with each new instalment its own more-ish meal. A menu, a loan, desperately needed additional help, oh-so-much restaurant mayhem: that's how this second visit begins, as Carmy and Sydney endeavour to make their dreams for their own patch of Chicago's food scene come true. So far, so familiar, but The Bear isn't just plating up the same dishes this time around. At every moment, this new feast feels richer, deeper and more seasoned, including when it's as intense as ever, when it's filling the screen with tastebud-tempting food shots that relish culinary artistry, and also when it gets meditative. Episodes that send Marcus to a Noma-esque venue in Copenhagen under the tutelage of Luca (Will Poulter, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3), get Richie spending a week learning the upscale ropes at one of Chicago's best restaurants and jump back to the past, demonstrating how chaos would've been in Carmy's blood regardless of if he became a chef, are particularly stunning. The Bear season two streams via Disney+. Read our full review. THEY CLONED TYRONE Jordan Peele's Get Out and Us would already make a killer triple feature with Boots Riley's Sorry to Bother You. For a smart and savvy marathon of science fiction-leaning films about race in America by Black filmmakers, now add Juel Taylor's They Cloned Tyrone. The Creed II screenwriter turns first-time feature director with this dystopian movie that slides in alongside Groundhog Day, Moon, The Cabin in the Woods, A Clockwork Orange, Invasion of the Body Snatchers and They Live, too — but is never derivative, not for a second, including in its 70s-style Blaxploitation-esque aesthetic that nods to Shaft and Superfly as well. Exactly what drug dealer Fontaine (John Boyega, The Woman King), pimp Slick Charles (Jamie Foxx, Spider-Man: No Way Home) and sex worker Yo-Yo (Teyonah Parris, Candyman) find in their neighbourhood is right there in the film's name. The how, the why, the specifics around both, the sense of humour that goes with all of the above, the savage satire: Taylor and co-writer Tony Rettenmaier perfect the details. Ignore the fact that they both collaborated on the script for the awful Space Jam: A New Legacy, other than considering the excellent They Cloned Tyrone as a far smarter, darker and deeper exploration of exploitation when the powers that be see other people as merely a means to an end. On an ordinary day — and amid vintage-looking threads and hairstyles, and also thoroughly modern shoutouts to SpongeBob SquarePants, Kevin Bacon, Barack Obama, Nancy Drew and bitcoin — Fontaine wakes up, has little cash and doesn't win on an instant scratch-it. He chats to his mother through her bedroom door, tries to collect a debt from Slick Charles and, as Yo-Yo witnesses, is shot. Then he's back in his bed, none the wiser about what just happened, zero wounds to be seen, and going through the same cycle again. When the trio realise that coming back from the dead isn't just a case of déjà vu, they team up to investigate, discovering one helluva conspiracy that helps Taylor's film make a powerful statement. They Cloned Tyrone's lead trio amply assists, too, especially the ever-ace Boyega. Like Sorry to Bother You especially, this is a comedy set within a nightmarish scenario, and the Attack the Block, Star Wars and Small Axe alum perfects both the humour and the horror. One plucky and persistent, the other oozing charm and rocking fur-heavy coats, Parris and Foxx lean into the hijinks as the central threesome go all Scooby-Doo. There isn't just a man in a mask here, however, in this astute and inventive standout. They Cloned Tyrone streams via Netflix. GOOD OMENS Since 2019, witnessing David Tennant utter the word "angel" has been one of the small screen's great delights. Playing the roguish demon Crowley in Good Omens, the Scottish Doctor Who and Broadchurch star sometimes says it as an insult, occasionally with weary apathy and even with exasperation. Usually simmering no matter his mood, however, is affection for the person that he's always talking about: book-loving and bookshop-owning heavenly messenger Aziraphale (Michael Sheen, Quiz). With just one term and two syllables, Tennant tells a story about the show's central odd-couple duo, who've each been assigned to oversee earth by their bosses — Crowley's from below, Aziraphale's from above — and also conveys their complicated camaraderie. So, also since 2019, watching Tennant and Sheen pair up on-screen has been supremely divine. Good Omens, which hails from Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman's award- and fan-winning 1990 novel Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch, was always going to be about Aziraphale and Crowley. And yet, including in its second season, it's always been a better series because it's specifically about Sheen as the former and Tennant as the latter. In this long-awaited return, neither Aziraphale nor Crowley are beloved by their higher-ups or lower-downs thanks to their thwarting-the-apocalypse actions. Season one saw them face their biggest test yet after they started observing humans since biblical times — the always-foretold birth of the antichrist and, 11 years later, cosmic forces rolling towards snuffing out the planet's people to start again — and saving the world wasn't what their leaders wanted. One fussing over his store and remaining reluctant to sell any of its tomes, the other continuing to swagger around like Bill Nighy as a rule-breaking rockstar, Aziraphale nor Crowley have each carved out a comfortable new status quo, though, until a naked man walking through London with nothing but a cardboard box comes trundling along. He can't recall it, but that birthday suit-wearing interloper is the archangel Gabriel (Jon Hamm, Confess, Fletch). He knows he's there for a reason and that it isn't good, but possesses zero memory otherwise. And, in the worst news for Aziraphale and Crowley, he has both heaven and hell desperate to find him — which is just the beginning of season two's delightful chaos. Good Omens streams via Prime Video. Read our full review. FULL CIRCLE Whether on screens big and small, when an audience watches a Steven Soderbergh project, they're watching one of America's great current directors ply his full range of filmmaking skills. Usually, he doesn't just helm. Going by Peter Andrews and Mary Ann Bernard — aliases from his parents' names — he shoots and edits as well. And he's prolific: since advising that he'd retire from making features after Side Effects, he's directed, lensed and spliced nine more, plus three TV shows. Among those titles sit movies such as Logan Lucky, Unsane, Kimi and Magic Mike's Last Dance; the exceptional two seasons of turn-of-the-20th-century medical drama The Knick; and now New York-set kidnapping miniseries Full Circle. The filmmaker who won Cannes Film Festival's Palme d'Or at 26 for Sex, Lies and Videotape, earned two Best Director Oscars in one year for Traffic and Erin Brockovich, brought the Ocean's franchise back to cinemas in 2001, and eerily predicted the COVID-19 pandemic with 2011's Contagion is in his element with his latest work. Six-part noir-influenced thriller Full Circle reunites Soderbergh with Mosaic and No Sudden Move screenwriter Ed Solomon, boasts a starry cast, involves money and secrets and deception, and proves a twisty and layered crime tale from the get-go. Full Circle starts with a murder, then a revenge plot, then a missing smartphone. These early inclusions all tie into an intricate narrative that will indeed demonstrate inevitability, cause and effect, the repercussions of our actions, and decisions looping back around. The pivotal death forms part of a turf war, sparking a campaign of retaliation by Queens-based Guyanese community leader and insurance scammer Savitri Mahabir (CCH Pounder, Avatar: The Way of Water). She enlists freshly arrived teens Xavier (Sheyi Cole, Atlanta) and Louis (Gerald Jones, Armageddon Time) to do the seizing under her nephew Aked's (Jharrel Jerome, I'm a Virgo) supervision; one of the newcomers is the brother of the latter's fiancée Natalia (Adia, The Midnight Club), who is also Savitri's masseuse. The target: Manhattan high-schooler Jared (Ethan Stoddard, Mysteries at the Museum), son of the wealthy and privileged Sam (Claire Danes, Fleishman Is in Trouble) and Derek Browne (Timothy Olyphant, Daisy Jones & The Six), and grandson through Sam to ponytailed celebrity chef Jeff McCusker (Dennis Quaid, Strange World). Savitri is convinced that this is the only way to stave off the curse she's certain is hanging over her business — a "broken circle", in fact. But, much to the frustration of the US Postal Inspection Service's Manny Broward (Jim Gaffigan, Peter Pan & Wendy), his go-for-broke agent Melody Harmony (Zazie Beetz, Black Mirror) is already investigating before the abduction. Full Circle streams via Neon. Read our full review. WHAM! "If you're gonna do it, do it right," sang Wham! on their 1985 single 'I'm Your Man'. When it comes to living the dream of becoming international pop sensations in your twenties, and with your childhood best friend by your side, George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley took those lyrics to heart. Wham!'s rise wasn't perfect, as the documentary that shares the group's name surveys, but the group's brief existence in the 80s saw them make their mark on history — and release quite the array of earworms. The songs, the ska band that Michael and Ridgeley formed first, the doubts, the struggles: documentarian Chris Smith (Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened, Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal) steps through it all, including Michael's difficult decision to keep his sexuality closeted. The early club gigs to drum up a fandom, the big-break Top of the Pops appearance, catapulting to fame, becoming the first Western pop group to play China: that's all featured as well. And shorts — so, so, many shorts donned by both the man who'd become a massive solo star once Wham! split and the pal who volunteered to show him around on his first day at Bushey Meads School long before their Wham! success. Smith crafts an affectionate and insightful film that's unashamedly a tribute, celebrates all things 80s from the hair and the outfits to the aura of excess, but makes clear that the band was never just Michael's launching pad — even if it did cement his talents not just as a singer, but also as a writer and producer. A fast-paced array of archival footage tells the tale visually, aided by scrapbooks kept by Ridgeley's mother that chart their careers; candid interviews with Michael before his death and Ridgeley now fill in the details. Also echoing: Wham!'s hits from 'Wham Rap!' and 'Young Guns' to 'Club Tropicana' and 'Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go'. Each gets their engaging origin story, although none more so than the still-astonishing 'Careless Whisper', which record executives dismissed when they ignored the group's very first demo four decades ago. The behind-the-scenes material is relaxed and intimate, the live clips electrifying, and the joy on Michael's face while playing Live Aid with the likes of Freddie Mercury and David Bowie is genuine (even as he talks of his fears that he didn't belong in their company). Watching means getting Wham!'s catalogue stuck in your head, of course — yes, 'Last Christmas' as well. Wham! streams via Netflix. THE HORROR OF DOLORES ROACH It takes place in New York, not London. The era: modern times, not centuries back. Fleet Street gives way to Washington Heights, the demon barber to a masseuse nicknamed "Magic Hands", and pies to empanadas. There's still a body count, however, and people end up in pastries as well. Yes, The Horror of Dolores Roach namedrops Sweeney Todd early, as it needs to; there's no denying where this eight-part series takes inspiration, as did the one-woman off-Broadway play that it's based on, plus the podcast that followed before the TV version. On the stage, the airwaves and now via streaming, creator Aaron Mark asks a question: what if the fictional cannibalism-inciting character who first graced penny dreadfuls almost two centuries back, then leapt to theatres, films and, most famously, musicals, had a successor today? Viewers can watch the answer via a dramedy that also belongs on the same menu as Santa Clarita Diet, Yellowjackets and Bones and All. Amid this recent feast of on-screen dishes about humans munching on humans, The Horror of Dolores Roach is light yet grisly, but it's also a survivalist thriller in its own way — and laced with twisted attempts at romance, too. That knowing callout to Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street comes amid an early banquet of knowing callouts, as The Horror of Dolores Roach begins with a play based on a podcast that's wrapping up its opening night. Newspaper clippings in actor Flora Frias' (Jessica Pimentel, Orange is the New Black) dressing room establish that the show takes its cues from a woman who got murderous in the Big Apple four years prior, and helped get unwitting NYC residents taking a bite out of each other. Meet the series' framing device; before the stage production's star can head to the afterparty, she's face to face with a furious Dolores (Justina Machado, One Day at a Time) herself. The latter isn't there to slay, but to haunt the woman spilling her tale by sharing the real details. Two decades earlier, Dolores was a happy resident of Lin-Manuel Miranda's favourite slice of New York, a drug-dealer's girlfriend, and a fan of the local empanada shop. Then the cops busted in, The Horror of Dolores Roach's namesake refused to snitch and lost 16 years of her life. When she's released, gentrification has changed the neighbourhood and her other half is nowhere to be found. Only Luis Batista (Alejandro Hernandez, New Amsterdam) remains that remembers her, still in the empanada joint, and he couldn't be keener on letting her stay with him in his basement apartment below the store. The Horror of Dolores Roach streams via Prime Video. Read our full review. HUESERA: THE BONE WOMAN The sound of cracking knuckles is one of humanity's most anxiety-inducing. The noise of clicking bones elsewhere? That's even worse. Both help provide Huesera: The Bone Woman's soundtrack — and set the mood for a deeply tense slow-burner that plunges into maternal paranoia like a Mexican riff on Rosemary's Baby, the horror subgenre's perennial all-timer, while also interrogating the reality that bringing children into the world isn't a dream for every woman no matter how much society expects otherwise. Valeria (Natalia Solián, Red Shoes) is thrilled to be pregnant, a state that hasn't come easily. After resorting to praying at a shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in desperation, neither she nor partner Raúl (Alfonso Dosal, Narcos: Mexico) could be happier, even if her sister Vero (Sonia Couoh, 40 Years Young) caustically comments that she's never seemed that interested in motherhood before. Then, two things shake up her hard-fought situation: a surprise run-in with Octavia (Mayra Batalla, Everything Will Be Fine), the ex-girlfriend she once planned to live a completely different life with; and constant glimpses of a slithering woman whose unnatural body movements echo and unsettle. Filmmaker Michelle Garza Cervera (TV series Marea alta) makes her fictional narrative debut with Huesera: The Bone Woman, directing and also writing with first-timer Abia Castillo — and she makes a powerfully chilling and haunting body-horror effort about hopes, dreams, regrets and the torment of being forced into a future that you don't truly foresee as your own. Every aspect of the film, especially Nur Rubio Sherwell's (Don't Blame Karma!) exacting cinematography, reinforces how trapped that Valeria feels even if she can't admit it to herself, and how much that attempting to be the woman Raúl and her family want is eating away at her soul. Solián is fantastic at navigating this journey, including whether the movie is leaning into drama or terror at any given moment. You don't need expressive eyes to be a horror heroine, but she boasts them; she possesses a scream queen's lungs, too. Unsurprisingly, Cervera won the Nora Ephron Award for best female filmmaker at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival for this instantly memorable nightmare. Huesera: The Bone Woman streams via Shudder. RETURNING FAVOURITES TO CHECK OUT WEEK BY WEEK FUTURAMA Good news, everyone: Futurama keeps getting thawed out. The small screen's powers that be love defrosting the animated sci-fi series, and viewers should love watching the always-funny results. Not once but twice in the past quarter-century, Matt Groening's other big sitcom has been cancelled then respawned years later. It was true back in 2007 when the show was first reanimated, and it's true again now: whenever Futurama flies across the screen after a stint in stasis, it feels like no time has passed. Groening first spread his talents beyond The Simpsons back in 1999, riffing on Y2K excitement and apprehension, and also leaping forward in time. Futurama's 20th-century pizza delivery guy Philip J Fry (voiced by Billy West, Spitting Image) didn't welcome the 21st century, however; he stumbled into a cryogenic chamber, then awoke to greet the 31st. After tracking down Professor Hubert J Farnsworth (also West), his only living relative, he was soon in the delivery game again — but for intergalactic cargo company Planet Express, in a show that that satirises every vision of the future previously committed to fiction, and with one-eyed ship captain Turanga Leela (Katey Sagal, Dead to Me) and shiny-metal-assed robot Bender Bending Rodríguez (John DiMaggio, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts) by his side. Futurama's initial run lasted four seasons, four years and 78 episodes. Then, the show reappeared in 2007 as a direct-to-DVD movie, followed by three more, which were then turned into episodes for the show's fifth season. Alas, another trio of seasons later, Futurama said goodbye again. Thankfully, when a series not only peers at and parodies the next millennia, but takes an anything-goes approach that's brought everything from robot Santas and soap operas to human-hating alien news anchors and talking celebrity heads in jars, there's always room for a new spin. Still, getting the Planet Express soaring yet again does pose one difficulty: how do you undo a perfect finale? When the prior season ended in 2013, it wrapped up Fry and Leela's on-again, off-again romance in a smart, sweet and widely loved bow. The new instalments pick up exactly where that swansong left off, then unleash a "massive disruption in the flow of time" to move everyone to 3023, then restore the usual status quo. So, Fry, Leela, Bender, the Professor, Jamaican accountant Hermes Conrad (Phil LaMarr, Craig of the Creek), Martian intern Amy Wong (Lauren Tom, Dragons: The Nine Realms) and lobster-esque alien doctor Zoidberg (also West) resume their workplace sitcom antics — in vintage form. Futurama streams Disney+. Read our full review. WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS Following in Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement's footsteps isn't easy, but someone had to do it when What We Do in the Shadows made the leap from the big screen to the small. New format, new location, new vampires, same setup: that's the formula behind this film-to-TV series, which is now in its fifth season. Thankfully for audiences, Matt Berry (Toast of London and Toast of Tinseltown), Natasia Demetriou (Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga) and Kayvan Novak (Cruella) were enlisted as the show's three key bloodsuckers in this US spinoff from the New Zealand mockumentary, all in roles that they each seem born for. The trio play three-century-old British aristocrat Laszlo, his 500-year-old creator and partner Nadja, and early Ottoman Empire warrior Nandor, respectively, who share an abode and the afterlife in Staten Island. In cinemas, the film already proved that the concept works to sidesplitting effect. Vampire housemates, they're just like us — except when they're busting out their fangs, flying, avoiding daylight, sleeping in coffins, feuding with other supernatural creatures and leaving a body count, that is. On TV, What We Do in the Shadows has been illustrating that there's not only ample life left in palling around with the undead, but that there's no limit to the gloriously ridiculous hijinks that these no-longer-living creatures can get up to. It was true as a movie and it's still true as a television show: What We Do in the Shadows sparkles not just due to its premise, but when its characters and cast are both as right as a luminous full moon on a cloudless night. This lineup of actors couldn't be more perfect or comedically gifted, as season five constantly demonstrates via everything from mall trips, political campaigns, pride parades and speed dating to trying to discover why Nandor's long-suffering and ever-dutiful familiar Guillermo (Harvey Guillén, Werewolves Within) hasn't quite started chomping on necks despite being bitten himself. Berry's over-enunciation alone is the best in the business, as is his ability to play confident and cocky. His line readings are exquisite, and also piercingly funny. While that was all a given thanks to his Toast franchise, Year of the Rabbit, The IT Crowd, Snuff Box, The Mighty Boosh and Garth Marenghi's Darkplace history, What We Do in the Shadows is a group effort. Demetriou and Novak keep finding new ways to twist Nadja and Nandor's eccentricities in fresh directions; their characters have felt lived-in since season one, but they're still capable of growth and change. What We Do in the Shadows streams via Neon. Read our full review. THE AFTERPARTY When The Afterparty arrived on Apple TV+ in 2022, riding a wave of revived murder-mystery comedy love that Knives Out and Only Murders in the Building had helped wash over screens big and small, it made one big risky move. Throwing a motley crew of characters together, then offing one? Tried, tested and a favourite for a reason. The ensemble cast attempting to sleuth its way through a shock death? Flawless. The genre-bending setup that saw each episode in the season parody a different style of filmmaking? Perfectly executed. Having the words "how great is this party?" uttered over and over again? That's what could've proven dicey if The Afterparty wasn't in fact great; thankfully, it very much was. There's a reason that phrase kept being uttered, because superfluous detail isn't this show's style: as in all great whodunnits, everything happens, is mentioned or can be spotted with cause. Creator Christopher Miller and his fellow executive producer Phil Lord, a duo with Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, 21 Jump Street and 22 Jump Street, and The Lego Movie on their resumes as co-directors, know the format they're working with. Crucially, they know how carefully their audience will scrutinise every clue and element. And, in the show's first season and now the second season — they also know how to equally honour and spoof. Fittingly, The Afterparty feels like a murder-mystery comedy party as a result. Adoring, irreverent, willing to get loose and shake things up: that's the vibe and approach. In season one, the series' title was literal thanks to a high-school reunion with fateful post-soiree hijinks. In season two, a wedding brings a disparate group together — and, following the nuptials and reception, The Afterparty's moniker comes into play again. To the horror of the returning Aniq Adjaye (Sam Richardson, I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson) and his ex-classmate, now-girlfriend Zoe Zhu (Zoe Chao, Party Down), another body then puts a dampener on the festivities; however, this second go-around doesn't get a-solving just in one night. Aniq and Zoe have recovered from their last confrontation with a killing at a celebration by diving into their romance, but it's the latter's younger sister Grace (Poppy Liu, Dead Ringers) who's getting hitched. Her groom Edgar (Zach Woods, Avenue 5) sports both family money and a cryptocurrency-aided bank-balance boost, he's an all-work-no-play socially awkward type as a result and, when he's alive, he's more fond of his pet lizard than most humans. Then he's found face down after the afterparty, déjà vu arrives and so does the also-returning Danner (Tiffany Haddish, The Card Counter) to sift through the suspects. The Afterparty streams via Apple TV+. Read our full review, and our interview with Sam Richardson. Need a few more streaming recommendations? You can also check out our best 15 new shows from 2023's first six months, top 15 returning shows over the same period and best 15 straight-to-streaming movies from January–June. And, our list of highlights from January, February, March, April, May and June 2o23 as well. Top image: Parrish Lewis/Netflix.
Internationally renowned chef Gareth Stewart has joined InterContinental Auckland as its partner chef for the hotel's new onsite restaurant — set to launch in late 2023 — as well as the Club InterContinental lounge and in-room dining. Located in the shopping and dining precinct Commercial Bay, the five-star InterContinental Auckland will include 139 guest rooms and suites, an onsite gym, meetings and event spaces, as well as a rooftop bar on level 21 boasting panoramic views of the city and Waitematā Harbour. InterContinental is keeping details of the new restaurant under wraps for now, but the former co-host of New Zealand's My Kitchen Rules and former executive chef of Foley Hospitality's eleven restaurants and bars will be taking the lead on the concept. Stewart will be in charge of every aspect of the hotel's signature restaurant, from its name and menu down to its crockery and glassware. "I'm beyond thrilled to be collaborating with the world's largest international luxury hotel brand and make my mark on InterContinental Auckland," said Stewart. "I started my culinary career in hotels working at The Queens Hotel in Portsmouth, so it's great to come full circle and land at this highly anticipated hotel opening on 1 Queen Street." "It's an exciting challenge to work with a blank canvas and build a restaurant and kitchen team from the ground up. I can't wait to welcome and delight diners when the doors open to InterContinental Auckland later this year." If you are a culinary superstar and are looking for a new challenge, recruitment is currently underway for an Executive Chef and kitchen team to bring the new restaurant to life. To apply, head to the recruiting website and for more information on the hotel, head to its website. InterContinental Auckland is located at 1 Queen Street. Its new flagship restaurant led by Gareth Stewart is expected to open in late 2023.
Ever walk into a Post Office and think, I'd love to experience some of the finest fresh produce New Zealand has to offer, served with contemporary southern European and Mediterranean flair? Yeah, me too. Thankfully you can experience just that at Intercontinental Wellington's latest offering: GPO… kind of. The hotel's latest restaurant pays tribute in name to the iconic General Post Office that once occupied the Grey Street site, but that's where the similarities to post offices end. Led by acclaimed Executive Chef Carl Maunder, GPO presents a modern twist on classic culinary techniques, celebrating the best seasonal produce from New Zealand, infused with the vibrant cultures of Southern Europe, the Levant, and the Mediterranean. And it's all served up in quite the stunning setting, finding the perfect balance in relaxed yet refined atmosphere. GPO aims to deliver diners a culinary 'souvenir' through its Mediterranean-inspired tapas-style small plates. While bigger dishes include hand-rolled pasta, pasture-raised meats and locally-grown organic produce, creating a fusion of rich spices, fresh herbs, and seasonal delights. Meanwhile, the expertly curated wine list will take your taste buds on a journey from the Aegean to the Riviera, Andalusia, and back to Australasia — no stamps necessary. The menu has a strong focus on best-of-season seafood, with signature fruits of the sea platter headlining the show, overflowing with locally sourced market oysters, diamond shell clams, mussels, prawns, and crayfish. The emphasis on local partnerships shines through every dish. Daily bread is sourced from Shelly Bay Baker, dishes are drizzled with Olea Estate's olive oil, sustainable Haku kingfish from Ruakaka, and Fresh clams are harvested from Cloudy Bay. Continuing the local connection, guests can expect to dine with bespoke crockery crafted by renowned New Zealand brand, Temuka Pottery, adding a nice local artistic touch to every plate. InterContinental Wellington's GPO is open Tuesday – Saturday, 5:30pm – late. Images: Supplied.
By their very nature, festivals are a choose-your-own-adventure experience. Event organisers carefully curate their top picks, audiences head along to whatever suits them best and few folks follow the exact same fest path. South by Southwest embraces the concept a little heartier than most, however. When you're putting on not just one festival, but several within that broader festival, audiences can hop between them, mix and match here and there, or choose the one that aligns with their favourite interests. Making its debut in October, SXSW Sydney is keeping the format that's served the event so well in its OG Austin home, where it has always been held — and only been held — until now. That's been clear from the lineup announcements so far, including in its first batch of speakers and musicians back in February, more music highlights and must-attend parties in May, details of its gaming strand in June, then two more rounds of speakers in July. Up now: the first nine movies that'll be playing at SXSW Sydney's Screen Festival. [caption id="attachment_911084" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jane Greer[/caption] Among its recent news, SXSW's Down Under premiere revealed that Queer Eye star Tan France would be among its speakers, plus Indigenous filmmakers Leah Purcell (The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson), Kodie Bedford (Mystery Road: Origin) and Jub Clerc (Sweet As). They fall into under Screen Festival, too. Also included: Osher Günsberg, who'll be on the SXSW Sydney bill recording an episode of his podcast Better Than Yesterday with a yet-to-be-announced special guest; Gone Girl, The Nightingale, The Dry, Big Little Lies and Nine Perfect Strangers producer Bruna Papandrea; and Binge's Executive Director Alison Hurbert-Burns. Film lovers love watching films, though. The SXSW Sydney Screen Festival isn't just about big-screen fare, covering both movies and TV — but its first round of titles are all features. In a varied bunch, one stars an Indonesian rapper, another is about Tokyo Uber Eats rider and yet another features viral Chinese dance crazes. American film Jamojaya is the flick led by Indonesian rap star Brian Imanuel, aka Rich Brian, enlisting him as an up-and-coming musician — and with Blue Bayou's Justin Chon directing. It's obvious what Tokyo Uber Blues is about, with the Japanese documentary's riding being done by a graduate film student with debts to pay. And Gagaland is responsible for that dancing in the street, and on social media feeds, which backdrops a boy-meets-girl tale. Also on the list: doco Anita, focusing on German Italian actor Anita Pallenberg, who was also a muse to The Rolling Stones; Cypher, a pseudo-documentary about rapper Tierra Whack; and The Last Year of Darkness, which dives into China's underground party scene with ample bass and neon. Rounding out the list so far: Japan's Plastic, which sees two teens go in search of psychedelic rock band Exne Kedy; France's Knit's Island, which is shot entirely in the DayZ video game (and from 963 hours spent in it); and Australia's You'll Never Find Me, about a caravan resident, a surprise visitor and a thunderstorm. Most of SXSW Sydney Screen Festival's announced titles have the tick of approval from other fests around the world, whether by screening at Cannes, Sundance, Tribeca, Sheffield DocFest in the UK, International Film Festival Rotterdam in The Netherlands, CPH:DOX in Denmark, Visions du Réel in Switzerland or elsewhere. As well as getting viewers watching movies and TV shows, with more titles to come — including First Nations Screen Festival programming by Winda Film Festival founder Pauline Clague — the SXSW Sydney Screen Festival will feature red-carpet premieres; digital and social content; an XR showcase; Q&As and panel discussions; parties and mentoring; and a screen market for industry deals. Free outdoor screenings are also slated, alongside indoor sessions at The ICC's Darling Theatre, Palace Cinemas Central and other yet-to-be-revealed venues. SXSW Sydney will run from Sunday, October 15–Sunday, October 22 at various Sydney venues, with the SXSW Sydney Screen Festival running from Sunday, October 15–Saturday, October 21 at The ICC's Darling Theatre, Palace Cinemas Central and more venues to be announced. Head to the SXSW Sydney website for further details. If you're keen to make the most of Australia's first SXSW, take advantage of our special reader offer. Purchase your SXSW Sydney 2023 Official Badge via Concrete Playground Trips and you'll score a $150 credit to use on your choice of Sydney accommodation. Book now via the website.
It's Hollywood's night of nights for television, it usually takes place in September and it has already announced its 2023 nominees. This year's Emmys look set to delay anointing a new round of winners, however, with word circling that the awards ceremony will be postponed due to the current film and TV industry strikes. Both Variety and The Hollywood Reporter are reporting that the 2023 Emmy Awards will ditch its scheduled date: the night of Monday, September 18 in the US, which is Tuesday, September 19. If the strikes are still ongoing, actors and writers won't be attending the ceremony — not the red carpet, nor the awards themselves — meaning that the bulk of the televised accolades wouldn't be able to be accepted by their recipients. Also, the shindig will look mighty empty. As per Variety, vendors have been told that the event will be postponed, with a new date yet to be confirmed. The Hollywood Reporter also advises that the rescheduled awards won't take place in September — and, in a best-case scenario, will be held off until the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers comes to an agreement with SAG-AFTRA and the Writers Guild of America. TV lovers will have to wait a little longer, then, to find out which shows have been dubbed the past year's best by the voters in the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences — and how much they love HBO. The answer already: a whole heap. In 2023, the folks who decide which shows will score some Emmys love awarded a massive 74 nominations to three HBO series: Succession, The Last of Us and The White Lotus. TV's best case of family feud earned 27 nods, including for almost every actor who appeared in its fourth and final season in leading, supporting and guest roles. In the Best Actor category alone, Brian Cox, Jeremy Strong and Kieran Culkin are going head to head. The most spectacular game-to-screen adaptation yet nabbed 24, while vacation chaos brought about 23 nominations. The other show that racked up a comparable tally? Apple TV+'s Ted Lasso with 21 nods. Similarly in the running: everything from Andor, Better Call Saul, House of the Dragon and Yellowjackets (all in the drama fields) to Abbott Elementary, Barry, The Bear, Only Murders in the Building and Wednesday (the comedy categories), plus the likes of Beef, Daisy Jones & the Six and Fleishman Is in Trouble (limited series) as well. Hollywood talents are fighting against diminishing residual payments for performers, and to establish firm rules about the future use of artificial intelligence in the industry, among other improvements to working conditions. When they took action in mid-July, SAG-AFTRA's members joined their counterparts in the Writers Guild of America, who've been striking since May. The current strikes are affecting film releases, too, with Australian crime-thriller Force of Nature: The Dry 2 already ditching its planned August date with cinemas given that star Eric Bana a member of the striking SAG-AFTRA. It's also been rumoured that big blockbusters such as Dune: Part Two, Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom and The Colour Purple might also delay their releases, including until 2024; however, none have officially shifted their dates as yet. The 75th Emmy Awards are currently scheduled to take place on Tuesday, September 19, Australian time, but may be postponed — we'll update you if/when a new date is confirmed. Check out the list of 2023 nominations, and keep an eye on the Emmys' website for further details in the interim. Via Variety / The Hollywood Reporter.
Talk about smashing it: for its latest ice cream collaboration, the sweet treat connoisseurs at Duck Island are teaming up with The Avo Tree on quite the inventive flavour. Throw those two companies together and the end result is obvious, but still hardly your usual type of scoop. Forget avocado on toast — it's avocado ice cream's time to shine. Earlier this year, Duck Island unleashed a limited-edition almond-croissant ice cream that came stuffed with real croissant pieces from the patissiers at Tāmaki Makaurau-based microbakery Mor. It's still thinking about breakfast this time around, but going in a different direction. And yes, the end result is green. Of course it is. How does it work? Think: ice cream made with avocado and Rice Bubbles, with clusters of the latter peppered throughout the dessert. So, you'll get a sweet-and-savoury combination (and some snaps, crackles and pops). And why? International Avocado Day falls on Monday, July 31, which is when this new flavour becomes available. If the answer to this question was "just because", the avo ice cream would still be worth a try. You can grab the new flavour at any Duck Island store around the country, including the pastel-pink Takapuna outpost. And if that's whetted your appetite for more avocados, don't forget that subscription-based service The Avo Tree delivers avos to your door around the country. Duck Island and The Avo Tree's new avocado ice cream will be available at Duck Island stores around New Zealand from Monday, July 31 while stocks last.
It's that time again — when burger lovers block out their diaries and ditch their diets. Burger mania is about to sweep through the capital as Visa Wellington On a Plate and its beloved Burger Wellington is set to officially return in August. This year marks the first time the festival is dedicating its full program to burgers and beers, with a heap of Wellington favourites creating inventive and sometimes unholy burgers as part of the festivities. On the beer side of things, two-day beverage festival Beervana will be celebrating all things hoppy between Friday, August 18–Saturday, August 19 at Sky Stadium. Across four different sessions, beer enthusiasts will be able to sample brews from some of the country's top producers, snack from the range of food stalls between drinks. "Wellington is the craft beer capital of New Zealand and Wellingtonians are absolutely obsessed with burgers, so this year we are going all-in for the August edition of the festival, embracing the burger as well as amplifying the city's craft beer offering around Beervana," says Festival Director Sarah Meikle. According to Meikle, more than 1.5 million burgers have been enjoyed as part of Burger Wellington since the festival first started back in 2010. That's a whole lot of buns. [caption id="attachment_910975" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Beervana[/caption] Some of the notable burger creations to keep an eye out for include Cafe Medici's A Perfect Swine which combines a chorizo patty with maple bacon, salt and pepper squid, mozzarella, gin-marinated cucumber and Tabasco aioli; the pork belly and prawn combo Belly and Jelly at Myrtle; GPO's The Half Doz which stars a half dozen battered oysters; and the absolutely wild Big Maclary at The Library which sees a 'toffee pop' brûléed chocolate patty paired with blueberry ketchup, lemon creme fraiche mayo and potato chips. Combining the two elements of this year's festival, the 2022 best burger winner Chaat Street has teamed up with Garage Project to create a hazy All India Permit pale ale. The limited-time beer is infused with tropical Mosaic hops, pomegranate seed, dried green mango, tamarind and Indian spices — and it's available for purchase at Chaat Street's Auckland and Wellington restaurants, as well as all Garage Project venues. [caption id="attachment_910974" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Half Doz[/caption] Visa Wellington on a Plate is returning with Burger Wellington and Beervana between Friday, August 11–Sunday, August 27. Top image: Not Your Grandma's Pearls burger
Plenty of different noises have echoed across Spark Arena over the years, given everything that the venue has ever hosted. Some of the next sounds that the site will hear: the Ministry of Sound, actually, thanks to its huge dance music orchestra show. Back in 2021, Ministry of Sound hit 30, and it's been throwing parties Down Under for the last couple of years to celebrate. It mightn't be officially marking a milestone in 2023, but the brand that started as a London club night back in 1991 has been busting out its classical tour again — aka an orchestral gig that's filled with decades of dance music bangers — and it's nowbringing it to Auckland this spring. Taking place from 7–11pm on Saturday, October 7, Ministry of Sound Classical is the answer to a question you didn't know you had. Ever wondered what classical renditions of Basement Jaxx, Darude, Röyksopp, Robin, Underworld, Moby, Fisher and more — played by an orchestra, and with live vocals — would sound like? This is your chance to find out. On the bill: the Ministry of Sound Orchestra, of course, accompanied by DJ Groove Terminator. Lady Lyric, Nat Conway, Luke Antony, Reigan and Rudy are on guest-vocalist duties, while The Potbelleez DJs and Sin will pop up in support. Hosting? That'd be General Lee. As for what you'll be listening to, the list of tunes getting the orchestral treatment also spans songs by Robert Miles, Cafe del Mar, Shapeshifter and Temper Trap. And yes, it all sounds a lot like Synthony, which does the same thing — but who doesn't love getting multiple opportunities to hear dance-floor fillers given a classical spin? MINISTRY OF SOUND CLASSICAL 2023 AUCKLAND LINEUP: The Ministry of Sound Orchestra with DJ Groove Terminator Lady Lyric Nat Conway Luke Antony Reigan Rudy The Potbelleez DJs Sin General Lee Ministry of Sound Classical will hit Spark Arena, Auckland, on Saturday, October 7. For ticket pre-sales from 8am on Wednesday, August 2 and general sales from 8am on Friday, August 4, head to the tour website.
Drop everything and start getting your snow gear out of storage. Mt Ruapehu lay directly in the path of a powerful winter storm this week — the sort of weather that would send crowds fleeing for the foothills. Conveniently, it occurred mere days ahead of the planned opening of parts of the ski fields, so nobody was hurt and the runs were absolutely blanketed in as much as two metres of snow. Truly stunning news for anyone planning a trip to the mountain this winter. Of course, some work still needs to be done to get everything ready for the crowds. As of the time of writing, gale-force winds are still roaring over most of the mountain but are expected to clear ahead of the weekend. The hotly anticipated High Noon Express Lift is undergoing final checks ahead of the planned opening on Sunday, while the Knoll Ridge T-Bar is also on track to open once the weather clears. [caption id="attachment_910961" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Isaac Feldon[/caption] Several Whakapapa trails and T-lines might actually open ahead of schedule thanks to the huge snow dump. Final touches on the Far West T-Bar are due as soon as the weather breaks, along with general grooming and de-icing across the mountain. The snowfall also means that the West Ridge Quad and Double Happy will both open for the first time since 2021. Rally the crew and book your lift passes ASAP. Needless to say, it won't take long for the mountain to get busy so give yourself a head start and get booking here. Images: De-Anna Studer, Lawrence Smithson
Wellington is bursting with authentic, unassuming and inventive fusion Chinese restaurants — you just need to know where to look. Often the greatest aspects of Chinese cuisine are the portion sizes and range of menu items, so you'll be spoilt for choice and will never go home hungry. Whether you're looking for the best wonton noodle soup, to fill a lazy susan with some seriously good yum cha or try every pork bun — the best Wellington Chinese restaurants have got you covered. THE BEIJING RESTAURANT, NEWTOWN Nestled in the foodie suburb of Newtown, The Beijing has a plethora of options on its menu. For those in search of a good lazy susan sit-down situation, The Beijing has you covered. Known for its authentic Chinese food and cosy atmosphere, try branching with dishes such as the Beijing duck with pancakes or mapo tofu. Or get stuck into its incredible range of meat dumplings, soups and tofu dishes. Bookings are recommended for larger parties looking to feast at this beloved Wellington Chinese restaurant. MAJESTIC CUISINE, TE ARO For some of the best yum cha in Wellington, Majestic Cuisine is the place to go. With tables big enough for all your family (and extended family), drag the whole crew along. The team at Majestic pride themselves on their recreation of traditional Chinese dishes and prompt service. Simply sit back and rounds of fresh and steaming yum cha dishes will come to you, including all the classic options such as pork buns, fried dumplings, chicken feet, spring rolls and sticky rice. The yum cha service tends to fill up quickly so reservations are recommended for larger groups. DRAGONS RESTAURANT, TE ARO Yum cha literally means 'drink tea' in Cantonese and the team at Dragons take this very seriously, with every order accompanied by bottomless Chinese tea. Following the idea that food should be enjoyed communally and washed down with lots of tea, take a seat at one of the gigantic lazy susan tables and enjoy the fast and friendly service of the yum cha menu. Chow down on crispy calamari, fried rice and steamed red bean buns. Then end your Wellington yum cha experience with any number of their delicious sweet options, such as walnut and white chocolate buns, coconut jelly or baked taro buns. Dragons Chinese Restaurant is also open for dinner with sharing platters, soups and seafood aplenty. NOODLE MAN, CAPITAL MARKET For a different side of the Chinese cuisine, Noodle Man at Capital Market emulates the classic Chinese street food. The broths are simply like no other and a 'create your own' menu option with all the elements to concoct the perfect noodle soup. Noodle Man is a great on-the-go lunch option, with seating available in Capital Market or easy and accessible takeaway options. The noodle bowls are perfect for those working or studying in the city, with each bowl priced under $15. Begin your adventure at this famed Wellington Chinese restaurant with your choice of noodles — from udon to rice — and then adjust your soup levels, meat options and spice, ranging from mild to blow-your-head-off hot. Add anything from dumplings to fungi to your creation, or simply try one of the chef's specials. The Burning Man is recommended for those who can really handle their spice. Challenge accepted? K C CAFE & TAKEAWAY, TE ARO With its understated facade, you've probably wandered past K C Cafe a thousand times on your way to work. Located on Courtenay Place, this gem of a Chinese eatery is one of Wellington's most underrated treasures. Find everything from chicken curry, roast duck and noodle soup to Chinese sausage, homestyle tofu and fried rice on the extensive menu. With limited seating inside, K C Cafe offers a takeaway option, perfect for lunches on the go. Or simply enjoy your pork dumplings and mee goreng at one of Courtenay Place's many outdoor seating options. Make sure to try the K C Cafe mapo tofu too. MR GO'S, TE ARO One of the latest Chinese and Asian fusion restaurants to win over local Wellington foodies, Mr Go's must be doing something right. With its fresh decor and inviting layout, this is a new and contemporary take on the Chinese cuisine. Delve into the incredible lunch and dinner menu with unique dishes such as Chinese pepper steak, kung pao cauliflower, tofu popcorn, Korean fried chicken and Taiwanese-style steamed milk buns. Mr Go's menu also offers a range of traditional dishes including fried rice, mushroom wontons and pork dumplings. Wash down your fusion feast with something from the Asian-inspired cocktail list. YOUNG SHING, TE ARO For those nights when you're craving a seriously good Chinese takeaway in Wellington but leaving the house is too much of stretch, Young Shing is the answer. With an extensive menu available on Doordash as well as a pick-up and takeaway option, there's no need to get dressed up to enjoy some amazing dim sum. The Young Shing menu consists of a range of appetisers, soups and mains. With everything from wonton soup and pork buns to crispy tofu and honey pork ribs. The Chinese restaurant also offers a sit-down dinner menu and the location on Willis Street is perfect for a casual dinner or morsel after work. TOP KITCHEN, TE ARO In the convenient and central location of Cuba Street, Top Kitchen is best known for its incredible prices and authentic Chinese food in Wellington. The food might be well priced but it's served with the care of a five-star restaurant. The Chinese restaurant also offers a hot plate menu, with dishes such as prawns with ginger and spring onion and lamb in black pepper sauce, all of which are large enough to share. Or dig into the huge range of entrees and mains, including a range of traditional Chinese soups and barbecue dishes.
Since 2019, witnessing David Tennant utter the word "angel" has been one of the small screen's great delights. Playing the roguish demon Crowley in Good Omens, the Scottish Doctor Who and Broadchurch star sometimes says it as an insult, occasionally with weary apathy and even with exasperation. Usually simmering no matter his mood, however, is affection for the person that he's always talking about: book-loving and bookshop-owning heavenly messenger Aziraphale (Michael Sheen, Quiz). With just one term and two syllables, Tennant tells a story about the show's central odd-couple duo, who've each been assigned to oversee earth by their bosses — Crowley's from below, Aziraphale's from above — and also conveys their complicated camaraderie. Also since 2019, watching Tennant and Sheen pair up on-screen has been supremely divine. The actors clearly realised it themselves, spending lockdown making comedy Staged as versions of themselves, which they then continued for two more seasons. Great double acts feel like they've always been a twosome. They seems so natural that you expect them to continue the same routine off-screen as innately as breathing. They can be playfully parodied by themselves, as Staged does, and still just as winning. And, they're often the heart and soul of whatever project they're in. Good Omens, which hails from Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman's award- and fan-winning 1990 novel Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch, was always going to be about Aziraphale and Crowley. And yet, including in its second season on Prime Video from Friday, July 28, it's always been a better series because it's specifically about Sheen as the former and Tennant as the latter. In the first season, the end of the world was nigh (the fact that Good Omens debuted the year before the pandemic arrived and life began to feel ominous in reality was pure coincidence). In the show's narrative, Aziraphale and Crowley faced their biggest test yet after observing humans since biblical times: the always-foretold birth of the antichrist and, 11 years later, cosmic forces rolling towards snuffing out the planet's people to start again. Hell, where Beelzebub (Anna Maxwell Martin, The Duke) led the forces, was primed for a fight to claim power. As guided by the archangel Gabriel (Jon Hamm, Confess, Fletch), heaven was up for the fray, too. But in a comedic fantasy involving satanic nuns, witch hunters, prognostications, hellhounds, the four horsemen, seances, and also the simple pleasures of two pals bickering and bantering, the crisis to end all crises was ultimately averted. In the long-awaited second season, neither Aziraphale nor Crowley are beloved by their higher-ups or lower-downs thanks to their thwarting-the-apocalypse actions. One fussing over his store and remaining reluctant to sell any of its tomes, the other continuing to swagger around like Bill Nighy as a rule-breaking rockstar, they've carved out a comfortable new status quo, though, until a naked man walking through London with nothing but a cardboard box comes trundling along. He can't recall it, but that birthday suit-wearing interloper is Gabriel. He knows he's there for a reason and that it isn't good, but possesses zero memory otherwise. And, in the worst news for Aziraphale and Crowley, he has both heaven and hell desperate to find him. Returning for a second season saddles Good Omens with a considerable obstacle: when you've already told the tale that was laid out in print, what comes next? Thankfully, Gaiman is back as executive producer and co-showrunner, building upon his text with the late Pratchett by enlisting John Finnemore (That Mitchell and Webb Look) as his new co-scribe — and with director Douglas Mackinnon (a Doctor Who veteran) again helming every episode. The approach? A mystery, as Aziraphale and Crowley try to discover what's behind Gabriel's terrestrial visit. Gaiman crafts a missing-person search as well, including by the demon Shax (Rams' Miranda Richardson, switching into a new role from season one), and archangels Michael (Doon Mackichan, Toast of Tinseltown) and Uriel (Gloria Obianyo, Dune). Good Omens season two also takes a few sizeable trips elsewhere, spending time with Job (Peter Davison, Gentleman Jack) in the Land of Uz, during the Victorian era when robbing graves was a key way that surgeons advanced medicine and among undead Nazis in the Blitz in 1940s England (Finnemore solely scripts the Job segment, Ten Percent's Cat Clarke the body stealing, and Ghost Stories' Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman the zombies.) Also crucial: a few romances, commencing with Aziraphale and Crowley trying to get coffee shop proprietor Nina (Nina Sosanya, His Dark Materials) and record store owner Maggie (Maggie Service, Life) to fall in love by cribbing from Jane Austen and Love Actually filmmaker Richard Curtis. Any future season of Good Omens that purely regales audiences with Aziraphale and Crowley's past escapades would be a certain winner, but weaving such jaunts into season two still works a treat. For all of the show's drawcards — the irreverent battles for the fate of the universe, the heaven-versus-hell hijinks, the gleeful satirising of organised religion, the Paddington-esque aesthetic, the fact that anything and everything can occur (and does) in a comedy about angels and demons — Gaiman knows that Sheen and Tennant are its biggest. Cue more eager digging into Aziraphale and Crowley's bond, and more of Sheen and Tennant bouncing off of each other brilliantly. In the process, cue more unpacking the fact that Aziraphale isn't just pious and dutiful beneath his halo, nor fallen angel Crowley simply evil. And, also cue more examining what Aziraphale and Crowley mean to each other as an ever-wonderful chalk-and-cheese pair. Sheen and Tennant are visibly having a ball again, with both expressing oh-so-much through gazes, glorious line readings and the vibe that sparkles during their patter. They aren't the only ones enjoying their Good Omens stints, with Hamm leaning into his comic side — see also: 30 Rock, Parks and Recreation, Toast of London, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret, Childrens Hospital, Medical Police, Angie Tribeca, The Last Man on Earth, Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp and Confess, Fletch — with gusto. Richardson is as much of a scene-stealing marvel as she's kept proving since her Blackadder days, Bridgerton's Shelley Conn relishes playing Beelzebub's new guise and Quelin Sepulveda (The Man Who Fell to Earth) is joyous as a daffy lower angel. Indeed, even when season two overtly puts the wheels in motion for a third spin, its cast ensure that too is a great and welcome omen. Check out the trailer for Good Omens season two below: Good Omens streams from Friday, July 28 via Prime Video.
Following in Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement's footsteps isn't easy, but someone had to do it when What We Do in the Shadows made the leap from the big screen to the small. New format, new location, new vampires, same setup: that's the formula behind this film-to-TV series, which is now streaming its fifth season via Binge in Australia and Neon in New Zealand. Thankfully for audiences, Matt Berry (Toast of London and Toast of Tinseltown), Natasia Demetriou (Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga) and Kayvan Novak (Cruella) were enlisted as the show's three key bloodsuckers in this US spinoff from the New Zealand mockumentary, all in roles that they each seem born for. The trio play three-century-old British aristocrat Laszlo, his 500-year-old creator and partner Nadja, and early Ottoman Empire warrior Nandor, respectively, who all share an abode and the afterlife in Staten Island. In cinemas, the film version of What We Do in the Shadows already proved that the concept works to sidesplitting effect. Vampire housemates, they're just like us — except when they're busting out their fangs, flying, avoiding daylight, sleeping in coffins, feuding with other supernatural creatures and leaving a body count, that is. On TV, What We Do in the Shadows has been showing that there's not only ample life left in palling around with the undead, but that there's no limit to the gloriously ridiculous hijinks that these no-longer-living creatures can get up to. Based on every season so far, including season five, here's hoping that this vampire comedy continues forever. It was true as a movie and it's still true as a television show: What We Do in the Shadows sparkles not just due to its premise, but when its characters and cast are both as right as a luminous full moon on a cloudless night. This lineup of actors couldn't be more perfect or comedically gifted, as season five constantly demonstrates. Berry's over-enunciation alone is the best in the business, as is his ability to play confident and cocky. His line readings are exquisite, and also piercingly funny. While that was all a given thanks to his Toast franchise, Year of the Rabbit, The IT Crowd, Snuff Box, The Mighty Boosh and Garth Marenghi's Darkplace history, What We Do in the Shadows is a group effort. Demetriou and Novak keep finding new ways to twist Nadja and Nandor's eccentricities in fresh directions; their characters have felt lived-in since season one, but they're still capable of growth and change. Some ensemble comedies only shine when their talents combine. Some let one or two stars do all of the heavy lifting. As stellar as Berry, Demetriou and Novak each are, What We Do in the Shadows is the sharehouse ideal of a TV comedy: everyone contributes no matter if they're together or alone. That includes Harvey Guillén (Werewolves Within) as Nandor's long-suffering and ever-dutiful familiar Guillermo, and Mark Proksch (The Office) as energy vampire housemate Colin Robinson. At the series' outset, Guillermo could've just been a tagalong offsider and Colin that exhausting friend everyone has, but with vampire-centric spins. Guillén and Proksch are now not only scene-stealers — especially the former's looks to-camera and the latter's deadpanning — but the source of some of the show's savviest jokes and the subjects of a few of its best episodes. With its game cast making everything they touch a comic gem, TV's iteration of What We Do in the Shadows has never been afraid to take risks as its episodes have soared by. In season four, that meant watching Colin grow up again from a baby — and it was hilarious. Over its run, the show has also seen Guillermo discover that he descends from the undead-hunting Van Helsings, a precarious history given his usual companions. He still desperately wants to be a bloodsucker himself, however. Indeed, that continuing conflict is season five's starting point, with a bitten Guillermo not quite sinking his teeth into anyone yet, worrying about why and also struggling with keeping his possible transformation a secret from Nandor. If Nandor finds out that Guillermo has been turned by his convenience-store cashier pal Derek (Chris Sandiford, Moonfall), wounded pride and a fractured friendship won't just be the end result. As the familiar discovers, being given the chomp by anyone other than the vamp he serves is a faux pas punishable by death — his own, and his master's out of deep shame — in otherworldly circles. This plot strand is season five's new direction for Laszlo, too, as he commits to helping understand why Guillermo isn't feasting on necks like a typical bloodsucker. As he experiments and assists, Nadja endeavours to battle a hex. She also learns that a Little Antipaxos neighbourhood exists right there in Staten Island, gaining a tonic for her frequent homesickness. Season five's storylines get Colin draining souls on the local campaign trail, running for the borough's comptroller purely to feed during debates and other political events. Plus, The Guide (Kristen Schaal, The Bob's Burgers Movie) makes her presence known — more than that, she'd like to be seen as one of the gang — after her time as an envoy to the Vampiric Council, then aiding Nadja with running her vampire nightclub. Visits to the mall and to space, staging a pride parade with perennially clueless neighbour Sean (Anthony Atamanuik, Little Demon), trying to get Nadja's ghost laid: that all happens in early episodes across this latest season. So does What We Do in the Shadows' best staple, aka this supernatural crew bickering, bantering and roasting each other. Case in point: season five finds occasion for Laszlo and Nandor to squabble over whether wit and charm or hypnotism is the best way to bend humans to a bloodsucker's will. What We Do in the Shadows' characters are so well fleshed-out now, and so delightfully performed, that having two of them argue and attempt to one-up each other remains gleaming comedy. The show's writers aren't slumbering. Sharpness and silliness still combine in gags everywhere — about Laszlo learning that he's Kim Cattrall in a Sex in the City quiz, just for starters, and in having Nadja's spirit ask speed-daring partners "how do you feel about taking the virginity of a dead ghost?" as well. Spending eternity with someone, or a quintet of seasons to-date, means loving hanging out with them, though, and this show is understandably mesmerised. Check out the trailer for What We Do in the Shadows season five below: What We Do in the Shadows' fifth season streams via Binge in Australia and Neon in New Zealand.
In Stay of the Week, we explore some of the world's best and most unique accommodations, giving you inspiration for your next trip. In this instalment, we set the compass to regional New South Wales and take a trip to the Hunter Valley for an idyllic countryside escape at Wallaringa Farm. WHAT'S SO SPECIAL? Ever dream of leaving it all behind? Maybe escaping to a nice farm somewhere, surrounded by breathtaking panoramic views of rolling hills and a picturesque countryside backdrop. Spending your evenings relaxing with a glass of wine as you watch the sunset over the horizon, before settling by the fire pit for a romantic evening of star gazing, free from the stress and light pollution of the city. Wallaringa Farm turns this dream into a reality. Located in the heart of the Hunter Valley, this beautifully restored three-bedroom farmhouse seamlessly blends modern comforts with rustic farmhouse charm, making it an ideal destination for families, friends or a romantic escape. Located on 750 acres of a working cattle farm and surrounded by some of the most stunning natural scenery Australia has to offer, the farm exudes tranquillity — perfect for anyone looking to unwind and reconnect with nature. THE ROOMS The spacious rooms are designed with meticulous attention to detail, ensuring a comfortable and cosy stay. The master bedroom features an ensuite, while each room is equipped with comfy bedding — two rooms feature an extra-large double bed, and one room has two bunk beds, while the air-conditioned interior provides respite on warmer days. However, the true highlight is the verandah with its comfortable deck chairs, offering breathtaking sunset views and a perfect spot to sip morning coffee or an evening beer. FOOD AND DRINK One of the best things about the Hunter Valley is its food and wine, so you're in for a treat as Wallaringa Farm is the perfect spot to indulge in local delights. First off, you'll be treated to a complimentary bottle of Boydell's wine upon arrival (perfectly enjoyed on the verandah as the sun sets). A tempting selection of local jams and honey also awaits. The property also includes a fully equipped chef's kitchen, allowing guests to prepare meals using locally sourced produce (or you could just make toast with some of the local jam, we won't judge). And for the times you don't feel like cooking, why not embrace the opportunity to explore the nearby towns of Dungog and Paterson for a taste of delicious Hunter Valley cuisine? THE LOCAL AREA The Hunter Valley is your oyster, and Wallaringa Farm is your perfect base camp to explore… that oyster. Dip your toes (or jump right in) in the Allyn River's cool waters — the hidden oasis of Ladies Well is a particularly nice swimming spot. You'll come out feeling refreshed and revitalised — that water is something special, or perhaps it's just the breathtaking location that makes it feel so, surrounded by large granite boulders and lush rainforest at the foothills of the World Heritage Barrington Tops National Park. For the history buffs out there (or anyone seeking some old town charm), the towns of Dungog and Paterson are a good shout, with their grand colonial buildings and charming markets. So whether you want to explore the beautiful wine region, go for a nice bushwalk, or immerse yourself in the charm of old country pubs, the area surrounding Wallaringa will have something for you. THE EXTRAS Set your out-of-office, pack those bags, leave the city stress behind, and head to Wallaringa Farm for a countryside escape. Aside from its storybook setting and charming farmhouse, Wallaringa Farm stands out with its commitment to nature and adventure. The farm's owners have a genuine love for nature and have crafted a peaceful haven for others to share in this passion, so if relaxing by the rustic fire pit under the starry night sky sounds like your idea of a good time, look no further. Feeling inspired to book a truly unique getaway? Head to Concrete Playground Trips to explore a range of holidays curated by our editorial team. We've teamed up with all the best providers of flights, stays and experiences to bring you a series of unforgettable trips in destinations all over the world. Images: Alex Jack Photography
When South by Southwest revealed two key pieces of news back in 2022 — that it would be held outside of the US for the first time ever, and that it was heading to Sydney to make that happen — the end result was always going to be big. SXSW Sydney is still more than two months away, taking place from Sunday, October 15–Sunday, October 22, but it just keeps adding to its hefty lineup. The latest? Queer Eye star Tan France and Coachella CEO Paul Tollett as headline speakers. France joins the bill as part of SXSW Sydney's focus on screens. The Yorkshire-raised, fashion-loving star has plenty to talk about, including Queer Eye, his New York Times best-selling memoir, YouTube's Dressing Funny, fellow Netflix series Next In Fashion and his own gender-neutral clothing line. The screen fest within the fest is yet to announce what it'll be showing, but it also named filmmakers Leah Purcell (The Drover's Wife The Legend of Molly Johnson), Kodie Bedford (Mystery Road: Origin) and Jub Clerc (Sweet As) among its speakers earlier in July. Tollett clearly connects to SXSW Sydney's music festival, given that he has experience with one of the biggest such events in the world. As CEO of Goldenvoice, the promoter behind Coachella, he's also spearheaded the Stagecoach country fest — and he started his career in the 80s working in rock. Also joining the speaker lineup as a headliner Cal Henderson, who your workplace might owe a debt to. He's Slack's co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, and ties into SXSW's Sydney's technology strand. And, as already announced back in February, American futurist, The Genesis Machine author, and Future Today Institute founder and CEO Amy Webb is both a keynote speaker and headliner. France, Tollett, Henderson and Webb will feature among 700-plus speakers, and more than 300 panels and events, at the Austin-born festival's Down Under debut. So far, the fest has also unveiled a batch of music highlights and must-attend parties, plus details of its gaming strand, with more program details still to come. On the music front, over 400 artist performances will take over Sydney's venues, with the entire event happening within a walkable precinct in the Sydney CBD, Haymarket, Darling Harbour, Ultimo, Chippendale and more — aka a huge hub. [caption id="attachment_910712" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Brittany Hallberg[/caption] SXSW's setup includes packing festivals within the bigger fest, plus exhibitions, talks, networking opportunities and streetside activations popping up everywhere. So far, venues named include Powerhouse Museum, ICC Sydney, UTS, Central Park Mall, the Goods Line Walk, The Abercrombie and Lansdowne Hotel. Attendees can hit up the SXSW Sydney Conference, which is where those keynotes, presentations, panels, workshops and mentor sessions come in. And, there's the SXSW Sydney Technology & Innovation Exhibitions, which is all about innovative and emerging tech and entertainment companies from across the Asia-Pacific region. Plus, at the Startup Village, up-and-comers from all industries and sectors will have space to meet, present and chat. [caption id="attachment_910713" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Brittany Hallberg[/caption] SXSW's arts fests will span the SXSW Sydney 2023 Music Festival, which will be focused on live music venues in central Sydney — and the SXSW Sydney Gaming Festival, complete with more than 100 local and international independent games to play at venues (alongside demonstrations, launches performances, exhibitions and social gatherings). Movie and TV lovers, get excited — because the SXSW Sydney Screen Festival isn't just a film fest. There'll be flicks to see, including at red-carpet premieres; episodic content; and digital, XR and social content. Expect Q&As and panel discussions with the folks behind them as well. [caption id="attachment_910714" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jordan Kirk[/caption] SXSW Sydney will run from Sunday, October 15–Sunday, October 22 at various Sydney venues — head to the festival's website for further details. Top image: Netflix. If you're keen to make the most of Australia's first SXSW, take advantage of our special reader offer. Purchase your SXSW Sydney 2023 Official Badge via Concrete Playground Trips and you'll score a $150 credit to use on your choice of Sydney accommodation. Book now via the website.
In the just-dropped full season-three Only Murders in the Building trailer, Mabel Mora (Selena Gomez, The Dead Don't Die) asks Oliver Putnam (Martin Short, Schmigadoon!) and Charles-Haden Savage (Steve Martin, It's Complicated) a key question: "who are we without a homicide?". When you're characters in a murder-mystery comedy who make a podcast about murders in your building, death comes with the territory. So does chatting about it — and both are covered in this latest and lengthiest sneak peek at the show's new batch of episodes. This time, it's actor Ben Glenroy (Paul Rudd, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania) who has shuffled off this mortal coil — and at opening night of theatre producer Putnam's latest Broadway show. Of course Mora, Putnam and Savage are going to get sleuthing again, as they did with past murders in season one (aka one of the best new shows of 2021) and season two (one of the best returning shows of 2022). And of course scrambling to save Putnam's career is also part of the storyline. Season three stars not only Gomez, Martin, Short and the ageless Rudd, but also the one and only Meryl Streep (Don't Look Up) as it add another bit of murder, a new mystery to solve and plenty of laughs to the winter streaming lineup. The show returns on Tuesday, August 8 with its main trio spending plenty of time on Broadway trying to work out who is responsible for Gilroy's death, and why, with help from Streep as his co-star Loretta Durkin. "Is this really happening again?" asked Putnam in the first teaser trailer for the new batch of episodes. Yes, yes it is. So is the series fondness for big-name guest stars, as viewers will know from both season one and two. Tina Fey (Girls5eva) has been a significant presence, Sting and Amy Schumer have played themselves, and Cara Delevingne (Carnival Row) has also popped up. If you're yet to experience Only Murders in the Building's charms, it follows its central odd trio after they bond over two things: listening to a Serial-style podcast hosted by the show's own version of Sarah Koenig, aka Cinda Canning (Fey); and a death in their luxe abode. Of course, they did what everyone that's jumped on the true-crime bandwagon knows they would if they were ever in the same situation, starting their own audio series that's also called Only Murders in the Building. That's how season one kicked off — and continued, proving a warm, funny, smart and savvy series at every step along the way. In the show's second go-around, another death needed investigating. That time, it was someone the main trio were all known not to be that fond of, so suspicions kept pointing in their direction. Check out the full trailer for Only Murders in the Building season three below: Only Murders in the Building's third season will start streaming Down Under via Star on Disney+ from Tuesday, August 8. Season one and two are currently streaming. Read our full review of season two — and of the show's first season, too.
Wellington is a city which is best explored on foot and one whose charm cannot be fully grasped from the window of a passing car. You need to get out into the streets, roam under the trees which make up the town belt or along those sharp ridge lines which enfold the city. The Wellington City Council has over past years done major work to ensure there are plenty of walks of a variety of lengths available to showcase Wellington as the cultural, historical and beautiful city it is. WELLINGTON BOTANIC GARDEN First stop on the list of great walks would have to be Wellington Botanic Garden. The sprawling gardens have something for everyone, and there are a myriad of walks signposted within the grounds which can be as long or as short as you like. The Botans are also a great way to get a taste of native New Zealand forests without going miles away from civilisation. The gardens are also dog friendly (provided they're on a lead and you clean up after them). Playgrounds for the kids and numerous picnic spots makes the gardens the perfect destination for a Saturday in the sun. Check out the Cable Car Museum if you've got spare time. To get there, catch the Cable Car up from Lambton Quay, or alternatively make your way to the main entrance on Glenmore Street, where there is parking available too. [caption id="attachment_514974" align="alignnone" width="1080"] Buffy May.[/caption] RED ROCKS/PARIWHERO RESERVE The beautiful but rugged Red Rocks is a great day trip to experience what the New Zealand coastline has on offer. The walk only takes about two hours return and showcases amazing geographical features, beautiful flora and unique fauna. In the winter it is not uncommon to see fur seals which is a bit of a thrill for folks of all ages. The trail is also used by four-wheel drive enthusiasts though, so watch out behind you if you hear a horn blaring. For those who don't like sharing, on Sundays the track is open only to walkers. Going at low tide gives you the option to explore around the rock pools (great news if you have little kids tagging along). Be sure to keep your distance from the seals if you do encounter them as they can get a bit ticked off if they are interrupted while having a nap. Head to the Owhiro Quarry where the Wellington walk starts — you'll also find toilets and parking. [caption id="attachment_637488" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Capture Studios.[/caption] MOUNT VICTORIA LOOP Part of what makes Wellington so beautiful is the Town Belt, the wooded hills which encircle the city. The Mount Victoria Loop Track is a great way to explore a small part of it. The 4.7-kilometre loop track takes around about two and a half hours to complete and can be quite steep in places, but the tracks are usually well maintained by the council. The walk is great for a stroll but is also used by runners and mountain bikers so keep an eye out for other people using the trail. Dogs are permitted if on leads, and obviously you are expected to clean up after them. For the film buffs, keep your eyes peeled for the spot where Sir Peter Jackson filmed the scene in The Fellowship of the Ring where the hobbits hide from the Nazgul after finding a patch of mushrooms. Start from the flat field at Charles Plimmer Park at the top of Majoribanks Street. There is parking available and as it's a loop track you will end up where you begin provided you follow the signs along the way. [caption id="attachment_691252" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Wellington City Council.[/caption] POLHILL RESERVE You may have seen the Brooklyn Hill wind turbine and wondered, how to get there. Just take a short detour off of the Polhill Reserve Loop Track. The 5.6-kilometre track takes about two hours to complete, and follows the Zealandia fence line -—such close proximity ensures you'll be able to see a variety of native birds while you're out walking. The walk is signposted and affords great views of the city and harbour. Being a loop track means you end up right where you started (again, provided you follow the signs). Polhill Reserve is a great short walk for people of medium fitness. Be sure to wear sturdy shoes though. For those amateur birdwatchers out there it is a great chance to spy some kaka, stitchbirds and native robins. The walk starts at the small grassy area on Aro Street just before Holloway Road. Look for the track signs. There is parking available. THE SKYLINE WALKWAY Perhaps one of the more perilous walks, the Skyline Walkway is nonetheless one of the most worthwhile. The 12-kilometre walk will take you around five hours to complete on a good day but the weather can play a major factor in how fast you can complete it. You will be very exposed to the elements up on the ridges, but the height is what makes this walk so rewarding. On a good day you will be able to view the Kaikoura ranges, the Marlborough Sounds, Wellington City and harbour, and the Tararua and Orongorongo ranges. The weather plays a big part in how successful your walk along the skyline will be, so plan accordingly. Be prepared with warm clothes and good, strong footwear. If you are completing the whole trail be sure to bring food and water as there are no facilities along the walkway. Pick up a brochure highlighting the points of interest along the way from the City Council information centre or download it from their website. THE CITY TO SEA WALKWAY Perhaps the walk that best showcases everything Wellington has on offer, the City to Sea Walkway is not to be missed — though it can be a bit daunting. The 12-kilometre walk will take around six to seven hours to complete and, as the name suggests, will have you venturing through Wellington City all the way to the sea at Island Bay, traversing some steep hills in between. As such, if you intend to walk the entirety of the trail then you need to have a strong level of fitness, though it can be walked in stages. The walk will take you through two historic cemeteries, native bush, along ridges and through small communities composed of turn of the century cottages. Though there are signs along the way, the City to Sea Walkway is best undertaken with a map which can be picked up from the Wellington City Council info site or downloaded online. The map also has all the information on the history and significance of the places visited. TE ARA O NGA TUPUNA HERITAGE TRAIL Wellington has been a major New Zealand settlement long before Cook sighted the Land of the Long White Cloud. Te Ara o Nga Tupuna Heritage Trail is a great way to learn more about the Maori settlements in Wellington which flourished in a time before colonialists began to change the way of life in New Zealand. The walk begins at the Pipitea Marae and goes through to Waitangi Park. The second half of the heritage trail which ends up at Owhiro Bay is recommended to be completed in a car but can be walked by people with a good level of fitness. There are signposts along the way highlighting points of interest but to get the most out of the walk we advise you get a brochure from the City Council information centre or from their website. [caption id="attachment_798716" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Stewart Baird.[/caption] STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN/PAEKAKARIKI ESCARPMENT Set aside at least three to four hours for this ten-kilometre walk. Part of New Zealand's nationwide Te Araroa Trail, the walk makes its way from Paekākāriki to Pukerua Bay, running high above State Highway 1 and the railway. It's not called the Stairway to Heaven for nothing; there are more than 400 steps to conquer before reaching the peak at 220 metres above sea level. With that height gain, the trail requires a decent level of fitness — you also be treated to expansive views of the ocean and Kāpiti Island. Further highlights of the track include two swing bridges and stretches of native forest. Dress for the elements — the track is exposed to the wind. [caption id="attachment_691247" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Virginia Mcmillian.[/caption] PENCARROW LIGHTHOUSE Starting from Eastbourne, it's a four-hour return walk to reach New Zealand's first permanent lighthouse, or 1.5 hours on a bike. Follow the easy, flat gravel road out before making the short ascent to the 1906 lighthouse. The rugged stretch of coastline offers spectacular views over Wellington Harbour, but given its location, the weather can certainly be unpredictable. Be sure to check the weather forecast before your visit Pencarrow Lighthouse and dress for the conditions. The lighthouse lies within East Harbour Regional Park, with additional loop tracks to the Parangarahu Lakes. [caption id="attachment_798719" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Alastair Penn.[/caption] MAKARA WALKWAY This seven-kilometre loop is the place to go if you're after a rugged yet scenic day out. About a 45-minute drive from the city, the advanced walk climbs from the rocky west coast beach to vantage points with spectacular views, including Cook Strait and the Kaikōura Ranges, wind turbines and WWII gun emplacements. An ancient Ngāti Ira pā also sits at the western end of Fisherman's Bay. Parking is available at Makara Beach, making the Makara Walkway fairly easy to access.
It was a delight as a webcomic, then on the page. As a Netflix series, Heartstopper instantly proved a gem, too. Indeed, if you didn't dedicate an autumn 2022 day to binging the show's first season, then you probably weren't anywhere near your streaming queue or social media. As charming as romantic comedies, LGBTQIA+-championing tales, British series and coming-of-age stories can get, Heartstopper dropped all eight of its first-season episodes at once, became an instant Netflix hit and started many an obsession — regardless of whether you currently are or ever have been a queer teen trying to be true to yourself, navigating high school and riding the emotional rollercoaster that is falling in love. After Netflix renewed the series for two more seasons last year because the first proved such a hit, the show will get viewers swooning again when season two arrives on Thursday, August 3. Wondering what's in store? There's now finally a trailer. This winter, Heartstopper will be making tickers miss a beat again, and twice, with the graphic novel's author and illustrator Alice Oseman also back as the show's writer (and creator, obviously). It's easy to see why more Heartstopper is on its way — and not just because its narrative has continued past where season one stopped on both the web and in print. The first season hit the Netflix top-ten list in 54 countries, wowed audiences and earned the online attention to prove it, and made stars out of its cast. Story-wise, Heartstopper heads to Truham Grammar School, where Charlie Spring (first-timer Joe Locke) was in year ten in season one. He found himself seated in his form class next to year 11 rugby player Nick Nelson (Kit Connor, Little Joe) at the start of a new term, with sparks flying swiftly and overwhelmingly — at least on Charlie's part — and a crush and then a life-changing love story blossoming. Filled with crushes, a coming-out narrative for Nick and a cute Paris trip — as based on the sneak peek — season two sees its key pair in the thick of their new relationship, and coping with exams and the prom. Also, Charlie's high-drama best friend Tao (fellow debutant William Gao) and recently out trans pal Elle (Yasmin Finney) are working through their bond, while her school friends Tara (Corinna Brown, Daphne) and Darcy (Kizzy Edgell) have their own challenges. "You don't always have to understand your feelings completely. You don't have to always have everything figured out. You can just feel," Nick tells Elle in the trailer — something that season-one viewers know sounds like classic Heartstopper. There's currently four volumes, spanning five chapters, of Heartstopper on the page — and a fifth volume set to arrive in November 2023 — so fingers crossed there'll be even more seasons of the Netflix series in the future. Check out the trailer for Heartstopper season two below: Heartstopper season two will stream via Netflix from Thursday, August 3. Read our review of season one. Images: Netflix.
Whether you've travelled from near or far for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023™ (or you're lucky enough to call Tāmaki Makaurau home), indulge in a moment of wellness at one of these eight outstanding pakihi Māori (Māori businesses). Test the waters with gentle skincare and native rongoā (Māori medicine) or go all in with a powerful Indigenous healing session to rest and recover the authentic Māori way. There is a whakataukī (Māori proverb) that says, "He oranga ngākau, he pikinga waiora." Simply put, it translates to "positive feelings in your heart will raise your sense of self-worth." Mauri ora! MANAAKI WELLBEING Nurture your tinana (body) and restore your wairua (spirit) at this beautiful holistic day spa located in central Tāmaki. Whether you're enjoying a blissful massage, signature facial, reflexology, or rongoā Māori healing session, the philosophy of Manaaki Wellbeing is to provide tailor-made treatments, so you know everything here is designed with individual hauora (well-being) needs in mind. If you're feeling jaded from too many late nights or a long-haul flight, you can't go wrong with one of the tranquil Spa Sundays packages to help you recharge. Find out more information here or check it out in person at Manaaki Wellbeing, 85 Saint Lukes Road, Sandringham, Auckland. AROHA LOVE Football games are great but have you ever been to a place that offers healing bodywork, balancing massages, bespoke facial therapy, cacao and sound healing ceremonies, reiki, rongoā Māori, and yoga and dance classes? If all of that sounds like a bit of you, Aroha Love is where it's at. This fantastic wellness and healing centre also has a thoughtfully curated shop with candles, crystals, journals, incense and beauty essentials to fulfil all your self-care ritual needs. Because what's the point in walking out of an appointment feeling like you're on a cloud if you can't continue floating once you get home? Find out more information online or check it out in person at Aroha Love, 3 Maidstone Street, Grey Lynn, Auckland. MAIDEN TĀMAKI The kaimirimiri (bodywork practitioners) and kairongoā (rongoā Māori practitioners) at the helm of this whareora (wellbeing facility) have a collective 60 years of experience in traditional Māori healing, so you know you're not just in good hands but the best ones. Quite literally. Wai-Sharne Raynes (Ngāti Whātua) is the founder of Maiden Tāmaki, providing ancestral therapies of massage, mirimiri (Māori massage), and reiki to people on her whenua (land). This experience is guaranteed to feel transformative, balancing and, quite simply, remarkable; you'll soon be a proponent for Māori healing in its truest form. Discover more information online or visit in person at Maiden Tāmaki, Ōrākei Marae, 59B Kitemoana Street, Ōrākei, Auckland. KAWACURE Harness the healing power of plants with KawaCure's natural rongoā Māori products. Their kaupapa (policy) is to harvest plants for the products in accordance with traditional rongoā principles, including the offering of karakia (prayer) and prioritising the safeguarding and sustainability of their sources. The hero rākau (plant) is kawakawa — a New Zealand native identified by its distinctive heart-shaped leaves — made into soothing skincare for an array of ailments from sunburn and dry skin to eczema and aching muscles. For us amateur and professional athletes, Tutu Sore Muscle Soak is a divine addition to a post-match bath. Mauri tau (relax)! Find out more info about KawaCure on the website. AOTEA CONCEPT STORE As one of the first brands to put rongoā products on the mainstream map, your trip won't be complete without visiting Aotea's Commercial Bay location to check out their therapeutic skincare range inspired by traditional Māori remedies. Aotea marries the power of mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) with scientific research to prove and maximise the efficacy of plant resources like kawakawa, harakeke and kūmarahou. Feeling spoilt for choice? Soothing, hydrating and sans residue, the Harakeke Seed Oil & Mānuka Water Hand & Body Cream is one to always keep in your handbag on a daily basis and your carry-on when travelling. Discover more information about Aotea online or visit the store at Shop 31, Ground Floor, Commercial Bay, Auckland CBD. [caption id="attachment_910580" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] MayaNZ via iStock[/caption] MOEKAWA HEALTH If you're game for making headway on that injury or energetic blockage (IYKYK) that has been giving you grief for far too long, this popular Shore-based clinic is the ideal place for getting you back on track. Guided by te ao Māori (the Māori world), founder Chelsee Peita (Ngāti Hine) offers mirimiri to bring about overall balance and therapeutic sports massage to get you ready for game day. At Moekawa Health, it's all about listening to your tīnana (body) e te whānau. Check out more information on the website or visit Moekawa Health at 1/41 Paul Matthews Road, Rosedale, Auckland. SHIATSU DON Let James Hancox (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Wai) of Shiatsu Don guide you on a haerenga (journey) deep within as he works his magic with holistic bodywork to hold space for your healing. His unique fusion of three modalities seeks to cultivate balance in the body and mind: zen shiatsu (an energetic massage technique with roots in traditional Chinese medicine), Thai yoga and musculoskeletal integration. If it sounds impressive, that's because it is. Beyond the standard 60-minute bodywork sessions which you can book online, packages for those wishing to accelerate their progression are also available. And if need be, James offers mobile bodywork sessions where he comes to your home, hotel or Airbnb - text him at 022-151-0527 to book. Book your session on the website or visit Shiatsu Don in person in Mt Eden, Auckland. FRANKIE APOTHECARY Say haere rā (goodbye) to countless lotions and potions and kia ora (hello) to Frankie Apothecary's infamous multi-purpose kawakawa repair balm. This rongoā Māori-inspired product heals eczema, dermatitis and psoriasis, works as a nappy barrier cream, remedies cradle cap, bug bites and cuts and bruises, eases sunburn, and can be enjoyed as an intensive overnight moisturiser. If you've been searching for an all-natural, zero-nasties range that is safe for the whole whānau (family), this brand is sure to be a staple in your whare (home). Find out more information on the website. The FIFA Women's World Cup 2023™ is on Tāmaki Makaurau from July 20th till August 15th. For more information, check out the FIFA™ website. Whāriki thanks Tātaki Auckland Unlimited for their support and partnership for this feature. Whāriki is a Māori business network connecting pakihi Māori across the motu. If you are a Māori business owner or want to learn more about the Māori business community, head to the website and discover their rārangi pakihi (business directory). Words: Skye Ross, Ngāti Kahungunu
Spent too much time staring at your same old furniture this winter? Wish you were relaxing somewhere coastal? Digging the desert oasis vibe? Here's one solution to all of the above: Kmart's latest homewares range. The department store's furniture drops have picked up cult followings, perhaps even more so in these steep cost-of-living times. Taking its cues from sandy locales, the August 2023 collection will only fuel that trend. When it comes to decking out your house with impressive but affordable items, Kmart has been giving IKEA a run for its money in recent years. Indeed, if you're already a convert, you probably know just how popular the department store gets whenever it drops a new range — or, you've likely seen everyone else's Instagram snaps that prove it. The current collection arrives on Thursday, July 27 with a mix of neutral tones and bursts of colour, cues taken from seashell and palm silhouettes, a heap of contrasting textures, and even coastal- and desert-themed items for pets. Expect it to fly off the shelves as always. With prices starting at $1.75 — for dinnerware, should the contents of your kitchen cupboards need a revamp — the August Living range in Australian and New Zealand stores is also about mixing and matching trends and styles. Yes, you can deck out your place like it's the beach and somewhere peppered with cacti all at once. Yes, you can do just that without stretching your budget as well. Covering items for the living, bedroom, bathroom and dining room, Kmart's current drop spans everything from oh-so-soft throws and salted caramel-scented candles through to globe-shaped lamps, timber bathroom furniture and several options for four-legged friends. The next time that your cat gets the urge to sharpen their claws, as all felines do, don't get them scratching on any old post. Direct your mouser towards a cactus-shaped version. And when your dog wants to get comfy, perhaps they'll sleep more soundly on a lush green bed. For humans, towels, crockery, wavy glasses, palm-print cushions, forest-hued quilt covers and shell-shaped bath mats are just some of the other items featured. You know how they say that change is as good as a holiday? It isn't, obviously, but swapping your home decor to the kinds of items that you might find on a getaway to the sea or desert should help lift the vibe at least. The August living range goes on sale online, in-store and via Kmart's app from Thursday, July 27 while stocks last. Kmart's August Living range goes on sale in Australia and New Zealand online, in-store and via the brand's app from Thursday, July 27 while stocks last.
This chat about Talk to Me was meant to be with both of Australia's now world-famous filmmaking twins. But amid a whirlwind past year that's taken Adelaide-born pair Danny and Michael Philippou from a hometown premiere to an international debut at Sundance, then saw their first-ever feature part of a bidding war won by A24, Michael might've accidentally slumbered through our planned rendezvous. The energetic, eager-to-natter Danny is apologetic, and also notes that Michael was a week late to Talk to Me's pre-production, after "he got COVID in Hawaii or something, so he was held back and he couldn't get on the plane". When it comes to getting some shuteye, Michael obviously hasn't watched his own movie lately. There's little snoozing done after seeing this deliciously creepy new Aussie horror standout that's rightly getting the globe's genre lovers buzzing. Now helming 2023's eeriest flick, the Philippous cross over from making viral YouTube videos like Harry Potter VS Star Wars and Driving the World's First Underwater Car as RackaRacka, achieving a dream they've had since they were nine and getting filming in the backyard with their mates. Initially, those aspirations were fed by Goosebumps books, then by getting taken to MA-rated horror flicks. "I remember Michael being really terrified and scared of the remake of Texas Chain Saw Massacre — like he ran out of the cinema, he was so scared," Danny shares. Talk to Me spins its terrors around a helluva concept: an embalmed hand passing dead-and-hating-it spirits into the living's bodies as long as they're giving each other some skin. The film's Aussie teens oblige, including 17-year-old Mia (Sophie Wilde, The Portable Door), her best friend Jade (Alexandra Jensen, Joe vs Carole) and the latter's 14-year-old brother Riley (Joe Bird, First Day). More than that, they get high on the experience, turning it into a party game. And, they're as savvy about internet eyeballs as their directors, also turning their possession party footage into social-media content. The movie's irresistible underlying idea initially came from a short film script by Daley Pearson, executive producer of Bluey and Content, although the hand wasn't initially a part of the story. Danny, who co-wrote the feature script with fellow first-timer Bill Hinzman, grasped onto the disturbing limb as a symbol of connection — and it's now impossible to imagine Talk to Me without its cursed appendage. As the film has hopped around the globe leading up to its theatrical release — the Berlin International Film Festival and fellow Germany festival Fantasy FilmFest also screened it, as did South by Southwest in Austin — the response has been anything but damned. Sitting in A24's catalogue alongside The Witch, Hereditary, Midsommar and In Fabric, plus X, Bodies Bodies Bodies, Pearl and Beau Is Afraid as well, is no minor feat, either. "The whole thing has just been so crazy and overwhelming, and feels so unbelievable. It's so odd. It just still feels like we're dreaming. It feels so surreal," Danny advises. With Talk to Me opening in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, July 27, Danny also chatted with Concrete Playground about wanting to direct movies since the twins were kids, crafting a film about connection, the concept of getting possessed to get high, making the leap from YouTube and crew gigs on The Babadook to the big screen, and whether there's more of Talk to Me's nightmares in horror fans' futures. ON THE ORIGINAL FILMMAKING DREAM — AND MAKING IT HAPPEN "It was always our goal from from nine years old, ever since we started making stuff — we always wanted to make films and television. That's always been our dream and our goal and, yeah, you always just picture it and envision it. But it's just happening on such a massive scale now that it still feels unbelievable. I remember we were making stuff all the way through our childhood, and we had this series that we were doing with our best friends. We just did that all the way through high school, like 13 to 18 years old, about ten seasons of this show — and we ended the last couple of seasons with these big movies. On the sixth and final film of this series that we're doing, everyone was losing interest and growing up, everyone was getting jobs, getting girlfriends, doing this, doing that. And then we were just still wanting to do this stuff, and we could only get together on the weekends — and everyone's like 'hey, we don't really want to do this anymore'. So we still needed to find a way to express ourselves creatively, and then we started the internet stuff. Within the first year of RackaRacka, we somehow we we got a million subscribers in the first year, and it just became our careers. But we got carried away doing that. It was so much fun because there's instant gratification of shooting, uploading, shooting, uploading. But we always wanted to return back to the film stuff, and it just happened. In 2018 or 19, we decided to sit down and actually focus on trying to get a film made." ON RECEIVING DALEY PEARSON'S SCRIPT, THEN COMING UP WITH THE HAND "He gave us a short film. It was a comedy-horror about these kids that were having fun with possession, and it was so cool. So I did a pass and made it a bit more serious, and then I inserted the characters that I really loved that I was working on for another project, which was Mia and Riley and Jade. Once I started writing, I couldn't stop — and it was like 80 pages within five days. I sent it over to my co-writer Bill Hinzman. He went through, we started like bouncing back and forth. Probably around the second draft, we found the hand as the device that they're using. Hands and the connections between people was always such a strong motif in the film already, and it fits thematically. I remember this story from when I was 16, and I was in a really bad car accident, and they thought I might have broken my spine. And I had this big cut on my face, I was bleeding everywhere — and I was in hospital, and I was shaking and shaking, and I couldn't stop shaking. And they're putting the heaters on. They're giving me all these blankets. But I just couldn't stop shaking. Then my sister came in to visit me, and she held my hand and the shaking just stopped. It wasn't because I was cold, with the shaking. It was because I was in shock and the touch of someone I loved brought me out of it. And so that always stuck with me, that experience — there was just something powerful to me about human connection. So that was just all the way through the script already, like I'd written so much of it in there. Then we just found that device, in that second pass. It just felt strong." ON THE CONCEPT OF GETTING POSSESSED TO GET HIGH, AND FILMING IT "Another big inspiring point for me was these neighbours we watched grow up. Then one of them, as he was getting older, was experimenting with drugs — and he was on the floor convulsing and having a really negative reaction. And the kids he was with were filming him and laughing at him. I remember seeing that footage, and it really freaking me out. I just tapped into that when I was writing — like, when I saw that footage, that was all the way through this film. And it just feels like what would actually happen. Everyone has such a morbid curiosity and obsession with true crime and the paranormal. People want haunted experiences. They want to do the Ouija board and film it — everything's recorded now. So it just makes sense to me." ON DIVING INTO BUSY HORROR TERRITORY, YET MAKING A MOVIE THAT STANDS OUT "I think that not being scared of the tropes is one thing. And not being ashamed that we're making a horror film — like embracing the horror of it, and embracing the tropes of certain elements and scenes. But also just writing a story that wasn't trying to be a big Hollywood movie, or trying to be like other films. It's writing something that's just personal to me, and to my experience, and my friends' experiences or family's experiences. It's tapping into stuff like my family's history of mental illness, and then exploring that. It was always about writing things that scared me personally. And so that was the way of expressing it, at the table with co-writer Bill Hinzman, it was just tapping at the things that scared us personally. It has to feel unique because it's your own story. And then it has to feel unique with the actors that we got because they were able to put themselves into their characters and completely embody it. It can't feel like anything else, because it's unlike anything else, because it's so personal." ON LEANING INTO SOME HORROR TROPES BUT AVOIDING OTHERS "Even things like their voices changing and and being in a body with someone else, I really love that in in horror. It's even small things like the animal — there's like a trope in horror of the dead animal on the side of the road, and I liked doing our Australian spin on it. And I also like that it just tied so well into the things that we're playing with already. So that's an example of a trope that we embraced. And a trope that we avoided — I didn't want it to get too big and crazy. I didn't want all the lights to go too crazy, be flashing and stuff, be flying around the room, and everyone's hair be blowing everywhere. I wanted the possessions to still be grounded in some sort of reality." ON RACKARACKA AND THE BABADOOK AS PREPARATION FOR MAKING A FEATURE "We had so much experience with so many things, even the makeup effects. Bec Buratto, who would help us with all of our Racka stuff for free, we got on to be the head of department in the film. So it was bringing those people with us as well. But each of those videos, and every project that you do, your experience grows and you learn from everything. So we just learned so much that when it was time to do the film, we'd done VFX before, we'd done special effects makeup, we'd worked with actors, we'd built sets. We know how to communicate what we want to do, and we'd developed our own style. So we weren't going in there not really knowing what we're doing — we'd worked on film sets before, and we'd worked on so many Racka productions that we had a clear voice. We used to do so much work experience and volunteer work on a bunch of different films just to be on set, because we were so obsessed with it. And so when Mike was 19, he'd done a whole bunch of jobs for free, and the producer, one of the line producers, was like 'I'm going to get you a paid job — you can't keep doing this for free'. So he got him his first paid job, which was The Babadook. It was the runner on there, so he drove around Essie Davis and Jennifer Kent. And he was able really able to be on set, and listen and learn, and just to see how sets are navigated and run. Then I was on set just helping out the lighting department. We both, Michael and I, could see how passionate Jen was. And it was one of the first directors, I think the first director that we saw, that cared so much. This wasn't just like a job or just making something to make something. She was making art. And she was putting her soul into it. So that was so inspiring to see someone so passionate, and to live and breathe their project. That rubbed off on us for sure." ON SPENDING MORE TIME IN TALK TO ME'S WORLD "It's so funny — we've written such an in-depth mythology bible about the backstory of the hand, the spirits that are possessing the kids, and there's just so many seeds that we planted. Even when we're writing the first film, I was writing scenes for a second film — and me and the other writer were always discussing it and talking about it. The idea of franchising or doing a sequel is so exciting to us. I'd love the opportunity to do that — that be so, so cool." Talk to Me opens in Australian and New Zealand cinemas on July 27. Read our review.
Good news, everyone: TV networks and streaming services keep thawing out Futurama. The small screen's powers that be love pressing defrost on the animated sci-fi series, and viewers should love watching the always-funny results. Not once but twice in the past quarter-century, Matt Groening's other big sitcom has been cancelled then respawned years later, with Disney-owned platform Hulu the latest doing the reviving. It was true back in 2007 when the show was first reanimated, and it's true again from Monday, July 24 on Disney+: whenever Futurama flies across the screen after a stint in stasis, it feels like no time has passed. Groening first spread his talents beyond The Simpsons back in 1999, riffing on Y2K excitement and apprehension, and also leaping forward in time. Futurama's 20th-century pizza delivery guy Philip J Fry (voiced by Billy West, Spitting Image) didn't welcome the 21st century, however; he stumbled into a cryogenic chamber, then awoke 1000 years later to greet the 31st. After tracking down Professor Hubert J Farnsworth (also voiced by West), his only living relative, he was soon in the delivery game again — but for intergalactic cargo company Planet Express, in a show that that satirises every vision of the future previously committed to fiction, and with one-eyed ship captain Turanga Leela (Katey Sagal, Dead to Me) and shiny-metal-assed robot Bender Bending Rodríguez (John DiMaggio, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts) by his side. Futurama's initial run lasted four seasons, four years and 78 episodes. Before every pop culture title imaginable started coming back from the dead, this one reappeared in 2007 as a direct-to-DVD movie, followed by three more, which were then turned into episodes for the show's fifth season. Alas, another trio of seasons later, Futurama said goodbye again. Thankfully, when a series not only peers at and parodies the next millennia, but takes an anything-goes approach that's brought everything from robot Santas and soap operas to human-hating alien news anchors and talking celebrity heads in jars, there's always room for a new spin — with Hulu committing to 20 new episodes, calling this comeback season 11. Getting the Planet Express soaring yet again does pose one difficulty from the outset: how do you undo a perfect finale? When the prior season ended in 2013, it wrapped up Fry and Leela's on-again, off-again romance in a smart, sweet and widely loved bow. The new instalments pick up exactly where that swansong left off, then unleash a "massive disruption in the flow of time" to move everyone to 3023, then restore the usual status quo. So, Fry, Leela, Bender, the Professor, Jamaican accountant Hermes Conrad (Phil LaMarr, Craig of the Creek), Martian intern Amy Wong (Lauren Tom, Dragons: The Nine Realms) and lobster-esque alien doctor Zoidberg (also West) resume their workplace sitcom antics, although Fry gives himself a time-wasting goal first: trying to watch every show that's ever been made. The latest season's opening instalment dives into the streaming era, and digs in. "It feels like we got rebooted," Hermes notes, with the show itself unfurling a flurry of jokes about the topic. The timing is likely purely coincidental and the statement unintentional but, amid the gags about extreme binge-watching and having more TV than anyone could view in several lifetimes available at the press of a button, comes commentary on television talents being replaced by machines. Skewered with clear purpose in later episodes: the bitcoin mining rush, NFTs, plus ever-expanding corporations that exploit their workers (and listen in on people's houses) yet still seem to control everything. Futurama has always excelled not just at the specific, but the general. Sometimes, the show's laughs are intricately linked to events and trends; sometimes, it chuckles at life's recurring patterns. The new season's second episode does the latter astutely well, while also nodding to season four's opening instalment. Twenty years back in 2003 when Futurama's 55th chapter overall aired, Amy's boyfriend Kif Kroker (Maurice LaMarche, Rick and Morty), the amphibious 4th Lieutenant to self-obsessed starship captain Zapp Brannigan (West again), got pregnant and gave birth. Amy wasn't ready for motherhood, but didn't need to be, because Kif's tadpole-style spawn required two decades in a swamp to mature. The show's writers now make good on that promise, all while finding multiple ways to spoof attitudes to parenting. Robot Santa (also DiMaggio), Zapp, Kif, scheming company owner Mom (Tress MacNeille, The Simpsons), the pet-like Nibbler (Frank Welker, Animaniacs), melodramatic acting robot Calculon (also LaMarche): to the delight of long-running fans, they're all back. So are newsreaders Morbo and Linda van Schoonhoven (LaMarche and MacNeille), Planet Express janitor Scruffy (David Herman, The Bob's Burgers Movie), the head of Richard Nixon (West), the Professor's clone Cubert (Kath Soucie, Rugrats), Hypnotoad and more. Indeed, Futurama circa 2023 doesn't just feel like it never left, but acts like it, jam-packing in scene-stealing supporting characters, whip-smart and gleefully silly jokes alike, and zany setups. A Dune sendup? Shooting lasers in the Old West? Waging war on Christmas? That all happens, too. "We're back, baby" isn't merely something that the ever-sidesplitting Bender says, clearly. Perhaps the greatest compliment that can be directed at the new Futurama is that this new run slides in so easily with past episodes, and so comfortably, that future binges will feel seamless. Not every comeback manages such a feat. Some, like David Lynch's phenomenal Twin Peaks revival, actively and gloriously don't want to. This one joins Party Down and That '90s Show in 2023 as returns that hit the bullseye, getting the rest of the dominoes falling like a house of cards — checkmate! Time may make fools of us all, and milk, but it's been keeping Futurama in vintage form. Check out the trailer for Futurama's new season below: Futurama season 11 streams via Disney+ Down Under from Monday, July 24.
As long as current release dates hold, 2023 is a year of threes for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Viewers will see three MCU flicks. They'll also watch three new streaming series. And, among those movies is The Marvels, which teams up a trio of female superheroes. Those characters: Captain Marvel (Brie Larson, Fast X), Ms Marvel's Kamala Khan (debutant Iman Vellani) and WandaVision's Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris, Candyman). As seen in a debut sneak peek earlier this this year and now the just-dropped full trailer, they're joining forces and trading places. The film acts as a sequel to both Ms Marvel and Captain Marvel, also marks third entry in the MCU's Phase Five, and features Dar-Benn (Zawe Ashton, The Handmaid's Tale) on a mission to destroy worlds. Apart from the whole universe-in-peril situation, this is clearly a dream come true for massive MCU superfan Khan, who has always been thrilled and surprised at everything happening to her. Loving the MCU, going to MCU fan conventions, obsessing over Captain Marvel, then learning that you have superpowers just like your heroes: that's enough to leave you perpetually astonished and overjoyed in tandem, an emotional state that's still in play in The Marvels. Ms Marvel was always leading up to this big-screen release, which is also the 33rd movie in the MCU, following fellow 2023 cinema releases Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. It's due in cinemas in November, and is clearly making the most of having three caped crusaders in its frames in the trailers. If you're wondering, Carol has her identity back from the Kree and she's taken revenge on the Supreme Intelligence; however, that has consequences, and the universe has become destabilised. So, The Marvels need to team up to do the usual MCU thing: save everyone and everything. Also returning: Secret Invasion's Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson, The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey) and a whole heap of Flerkens, including Goose. As well as Larson, Parris, Vellani, Jackson and Ashton, The Marvels features Park Seo-joon (Parasite). Behind the lens, Candyman's Nia DaCosta directs, and co-wrote the screenplay with Megan McDonnell (WandaVision), Elissa Karasik (Loki) and Zeb Wells (She-Hulk: Attorney at Law). And those three MCU shows this year? Secret Invasion, the return of Loki and newcomer Echo. Check out the full trailer for The Marvels below: The Marvels releases in cinemas Down Under on November 9, 2023. Images: Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2023 MARVEL.
Barbenheimer, aka the simultaneous release of Barbie and Oppenheimer on the silver screen on the same day, is the biggest thing in cinemas worldwide right now. Thanks to the current situation in Hollywood, it might just prove the biggest thing in picture palaces for the rest of 2023. With Tinseltown's actors and writers currently striking for better conditions, film studios are reportedly rethinking their release plans, which means likely pushing back some of the year's other big blockbusters until 2024. Already Down Under, Australian crime-thriller Force of Nature: The Dry 2 has ditched its planned August release, with star Eric Bana a member of the striking SAG-AFTRA. Unsurprisingly, it seems that more movies will follow — and globally. Variety reports that Dune: Part Two, Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom and The Colour Purple are among the titles being considered for a 2024 rendezvous with cinemagoers instead. Also possibly getting a release-date rethink, Variety predicts: The Marvels, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes and Napoleon. Yes, it's happening again, maybe: just like when the pandemic sparked stay-at-home orders, restrictions and closed cinemas, a heap of big-name flicks might shift back their debuts in cinemas. The list of titles that Hollywood's studios are considering pushing is undoubtedly even longer — spanning more than sandworms, underwater superheroes, Oprah Winfrey-produced musicals, Marvel teamups, volunteering as tribute and French emperors. For cinema's spiciest sci-fi saga, this is a particularly familiar situation. Dune: Part One was delayed considerably due to COVID-19, jumping from Boxing Day 2020 to early December 2021. Wondering exactly why dates could be pushed back this time if the films are already finished, or the actors and writers have already done their parts? Neither stars nor scribes are permitted to promote films during the strike. That means no Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya talking about getting sandy, Jason Momoa chatting about life underwater and the like. Splashing famous faces around via interviews is usually a big part of a movie's promotional strategy — aka something that the studios value from actors, a fact that shouldn't escape notice given the current situation. Hollywood talents are fighting against diminishing residual payments for performers, and to establish firm rules about the future use of artificial intelligence in the industry, among other improvements to working conditions. When they took action in mid-July, SAG-AFTRA's members joined their counterparts in the Writers Guild of America, who've been striking since May. We'll update you if and when any of this year's big upcoming movies change their release date. Via Variety.
Movies may be everywhere in the streaming age, but so is the curse of being spoiled for choice. Accordingly, it isn't just escaping into a darkened room to watch the latest and greatest pictures that makes film festivals such a treat. It's also watching your way through a curated lineup that, yes, still overflows with options, but has whittled down the wealth of picks to the fest's programming team's absolute favourite choices. That's every cinema celebration's remit, including the returning New Zealand International Film Festival, which is back for 2023 with more than 100 flicks lighting up Aotearoa's picture palaces. In Auckland from Wednesday, July 19–Sunday, August 6 and in Wellington from Thursday July 27–Saturday, August 12, it's basically cinephile Christmas — even starting in July — and the fest isn't short on new must-sees. Still trying to decide what to watch? We're here to help, too. If you only catch one film at NZIFF, or a handful, or eight, make them one of our highly recommended and throughly loved tried-and-tested picks. PAST LIVES Call it fate, call it destiny, call it deeply feeling like you were always meant to cross paths with someone: in Korean, that sensation is in-yeon. Partway through Past Lives, aspiring writer Nora (Greta Lee, Russian Doll) explains the concept to fellow scribe Arthur (John Magaro, The Many Saints of Newark) like she knows it deep in her bones, because both she and the audience are well-aware that she does. That's what writer/director Celine Song's sublime feature debut is about from its first frames to its last. With Arthur, Nora jokes that in-yeon is something that Koreans talk about when they're trying to seduce someone. There's truth to her words, because she'll end up married to him. But with her childhood crush Hae Sung (Teo Yoo, Decision to Leave), who she last saw at the age of 12 because her family then moved from Seoul to Toronto, in-yeon explains everything. It sums up their firm connection as kids, the instant spark that ignites when they reunite in their 20s via emails and Skype calls, and the complicated emotions that swell when they're finally in the same place together again after decades — even with Arthur in the picture as well. Song also emigrated to Canada with her parents as a pre-teen, but achieves that always-sought-after feat: making a movie that feels so intimately specific to its characters, and yet resonates so heartily and universally. Each time that Nora and Hae Sung slide back into each other's lives, it feels like no time has passed, but that doesn't smooth their way forward. Crafted to resemble slipping into a memory, complete with lingering looks and a transportingly evocative score, this feature knows every emotion that springs when you need someone and vice versa, but life has other plans. It feels the weight of the roads not taken, even when you're happy with the route you're on. It's a film about details — spying them everywhere, in Nora and Hae Sung's lives and their faces, while recognising how the best people in anyone's orbits spot them as well. Lee, Yoo and Magaro are each magnetic and magnificent, as is everything about this sensitive, blisteringly honest and intimately complex masterpiece. 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. Read our full review, and our interview with Benjamin Millepied. EO David Attenborough's nature documentaries are acclaimed and beloved viewing, including when they're recreating dinosaurs. Family-friendly fare adores cute critters, especially if they're talking as in The Lion King and Paddington movies. The horror genre also loves pushing animals to the front, with The Birds and Jaws among its unsettling masterpieces. Earth's creatures great and small are all around us on-screen, and also off — but in EO, a donkey drama by Polish filmmaker Jerzy Skolimowski (11 Minutes), humanity barely cares. The people in this Oscar-nominated mule musing might watch movies about pets and beasts. They may have actively shared parts of their own lives existence the animal kingdom; some, albeit only a rare few, do attempt exactly that with this flick's grey-haired, white-spotted, wide-eyed namesake. But one of the tragedies at the heart of this adventure is also just a plain fact of life on this pale blue dot while homo sapiens reign supreme: that animals are everywhere all the time but hardly anyone notices. EO notices. Making his first film in seven years, and co-writing with his wife and producer Ewa Piaskowska (Essential Killing), Skolimowski demands that his audience pays attention. This is both an episodic slice-of-life portrait of EO the donkey's days and a glimpse of the world from his perspective — sometimes, the glowing and gorgeous cinematography by Michal Dymek (Wolf) takes in the Sardinian creature in all his braying, trotting, carrot-eating glory; sometimes, it takes on 'donkey vision', which is just as mesmerising to look at. Skolimowski gets inspiration from Robert Bresson's 1966 feature Au Hasard Balthazar, too, a movie that also follows the life of a hoofed, long-eared mammal. Like that French great, EO sees hardship much too often for its titular creature; however, even at its most heartbreaking, it also spies an innate, immutable circle of life. Read our full review. SAINT OMER In 2016, a French documentarian with Senegalese heritage attended the trial of a Senegalese French PhD student who confessed to killing her 15-month-old daughter, who was fathered by a white partner, by leaving her on the beach to the mercy of the waves at Berck-sur-Mer. The filmmaker was fixated. She describes it as an "unspeakable obsession". She was haunted by questions about motherhood, too — her mum's and her own, given that she was a young mother herself as she sat in the courtroom. That story is the story of how Saint Omer came to be, and also almost exactly the tale that the piercing drama tells. In her first narrative film after docos We and La Permanence, writer/director Alice Diop focuses on a French author and literature professor with a Senegalese background who bears witness to a trial with the same details, also of a Senegalese French woman, for the same crime. Saint Omer's protagonist shares other traits with Diop as she observes, too, and watches and listens to research a book. A director riffing on their own experience isn't novel, but Saint Omer is strikingly intimate and authentic because it's the embodiment of empathy in an innately difficult situation. It shows what it means to feel for someone else, including someone who has admitted to a shocking crime, and has been made because Diop went through that far-from-straightforward process and was galvanised to keep grappling with it. What a deeply emotional movie this 2022 Venice International Film Festival Grand Jury Prize-winning feature is, understandably and unsurprisingly. What a heartbreaking and harrowing work it proves as well. Saint Omer is also an astoundingly multilayered excavation of being in a country but never being seen as truly part it, and what that does to someone's sense of self, all through Fabienne Kabou's complicated reality and Laurence Coly's (Guslagie Malanda, My Friend Victoria) fictionalised scenario. Read our full review. REALITY Sydney Sweeney is ready for her closeup. Playwright-turned-filmmaker Tina Satter obliges. A household name of late due to her exceptional work in both Euphoria and The White Lotus, Sweeney has earned the camera's attention for over a decade; however, she's never been peered at with the unflinching intensity of Satter's debut feature Reality. For much of this short, sharp and stunning docudrama, the film's star lingers within the frame. Plenty of the movie's 83-minute running time devotes its focus to her face, staring intimately and scrutinising what it sees. Within Reality's stranger-than-fiction narrative, that imagery spies a US Air Force veteran and National Security Agency translator in her mid-twenties, on what she thought was an ordinary Saturday. It's June 3, 2017, with the picture's protagonist returning from buying groceries to find FBI agents awaiting at her rented Augusta, Georgia home, then accusing her of "the possible mishandling of classified information". Reality spots a woman facing grave charges, a suspect under interrogation and a whistleblower whose fate is already known to the world. It provides a thriller of a procedural with agents, questions, allegations and arrests; an informer saga that cuts to the heart of 21st-century American politics, and its specific chaos since 2016; and an impossible-to-shake tragedy about how authority savagely responds to being held to account. Bringing her stage production Is This a Room: Reality Winner Verbatim Transcription to the screen after it wowed off-Broadway and then Broadway, Satter dedicates Reality's bulk to that one day and those anxious minutes, unfurling in close to real time — but, pivotally, it kicks off three weeks earlier with its namesake at work while Fox News plays around her office. Why would someone leak to the media a restricted NSA report about Russian interference in getting Donald Trump elected? Before it recreates the words genuinely spoken between its eponymous figure and law enforcement, Reality sees the answer as well. Read our full review. HELLO DANKNESS Take American cinema's many depictions of suburbia over several decades, splice them together savvily and knowingly, but morph them into a savage musing on the US political landscape (hellscape, even) between 2016–21. Hello film lovers, you now have one of the most stunning Australian movies of 2023, a Tom Hanks flick like no other, and a feature that's also an experience: Hello Dankness. Hailing from Soda Jerk and marking the duo's first feature since TERROR NULLIUS roared across screens in 2018, it's another treasure trove of clips edited together to make a helluva statement. It's "a suburban stoner musical rendered in the form of a cybernetic Greek tragedy" as well, as Soda Jerk themselves have dubbed it, and it's like peering into another dimension and our very own at the same time. To help, the artists have amassed samples from more than 300 film and TV clips taken from an array of sources, plus around 250 audio grabs. Donald Trump's Access Hollywood tape and Kendall Jenner's Pepsi ad even pop up. Among the other content that's featured: everything from The Burbs (hence Hanks), Wayne's World, Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar and The Social Network to American Beauty, Friday, Napoleon Dynamite, This Is the End, Euphoria and PEN15 as well. The list goes on, as intertwined with songs from Cats, Les Misérables, Annie and The Phantom of the Opera. Across a wild 70 minutes, everyone's favourite movies get the second life that no one other than Soda Jerk could've ever dreamed of to unpack a deeply polarised country and period, and tear into America's fake news-, conspiracy-, meme-, pandemic and culture war-ravaged society. No one makes cinema like this duo, even in the sampling space — and there's a reason that Hello Dankness keeps doing the festival rounds internationally and Down Under. Read our interview with Soda Jerk. THE INSPECTION If war is hell, then military boot camp is purgatory. So told Full Metal Jacket, with Stanley Kubrick's masterpiece making that observation echo and pierce with the relentlessness of machine-gun fire. Now, The Inspection stresses the same point nearing four decades later, plunging into the story of a gay Black man enlisting, then navigating the nightmare that is basic training. This too is a clear-eyed step inside the United States Marine Corps, but drawn from first-time fictional feature filmmaker Elegance Bratton's own experiences. New Yorker Ellis French (Jeremy Pope, One Night in Miami) is the Pier Kids documentarian's on-screen alter ego — an out queer man who has spent a decade from his teens to his mid-20s homeless after being kicked out by his ashamed mother Inez (Gabrielle Union, Strange World), and pledges his post 9/11 freedom away for a place to fit in, even if that means descending into a world of institutional homophobia and racism. It would've been easy for Bratton to just sear and scorch in The Inspection; his film is set in 2005, "don't ask, don't tell" was still the US military forces' policy and discrimination against anyone who isn't a straight white man is horrendously brutal. Life being moulded into naval-infantry soldiers is savage anyway; "our job is not to make Marines, it's to make monsters," says Leland Laws (Bokeem Woodbine, Wu-Tang: An American Saga), Ellis' commanding officer and chief state-sanctioned tormentor. And yet, crafting a film that's as haunting as it is because it's supremely personal, Bratton never shies away from Ellis' embrace of the Marines in his quest to work out how he can be himself. There's nothing simple about someone signing up for such heartbreaking anguish because that's the only option that they can imagine, but this stunning movie is anything but simple. Read our full review. 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. Read our full review, and our interview with Warwick Thornton. Whānau Mārama: New Zealand International Film Festival runs from July–September 2023, including in Auckland from Wednesday, July 19–Sunday, August 6 and in Wellington from Thursday July 27–Saturday, August 12. For more information and tickets, head to the festival website.
As a dancer, he joined the New York Ballet while still a teenager. As a choreographer working in film, he's given Denis Villeneuve's versions of Dune their sandwalk. Making a dance film in the desert seems like the logical next step for Benjamin Millepied, then. The French talent's resume isn't short on other highlights — including the LA Dance Project, which he initiated; Black Swan, which he both choreographed and starred in; and the Paris Opera Ballet, where he was Director of Dance from 2014–16 — but a reimagining of Carmen not only shot in Australia, but backdropped by the outback town of Broken Hill, is quite the unique way to make his feature directorial debut. This is Carmen in name and spirit first and foremost, though. This is Carmen broken down and built back up again, too. Despite the contents of its frames, this is Carmen set not Down Under, but across the US-Mexico border amid fleeing to Los Angeles. This is Carmen following strangers who become lovers on the run, its namesake escaping cartel brutality and then racist prejudices when she migrates north, and the ex-marine that she crosses paths with post-smuggling dashing away from his own dalliances with violence. This is also Carmen led by Melissa Barrera and Paul Mescal, the former more in In the Heights mode than Scream, and the latter as entrancing as he's proven in Normal People and his Oscar-nominated performance in Aftersun. It was the pandemic that took filming in Mexico out of the equation, and brought Millepied to Australia. His visit, like Mescal's when he was cast, didn't slink under the radar — that Millepied is married to Black Swan Oscar-winner Natalie Portman, who shot Thor: Love and Thunder in Sydney, meant ample media attention. Carmen was made when much of Hollywood seemed to relocate this way; however, as spectacular as its dance sequences are, and as impressive as it leads prove as well (plus iconic Spanish actor and Pedro Almodóvar favourite Rossy de Palma, Parallel Mothers), it's as intimate as an opera-inspired drama that dances against sweeping plains of ochre Aussie soil can be. "I personally enjoyed it so much out there," Millepied tells Concrete Playground. "I love the desert. I love the light in the desert. I really loved being out there. I'm going back to Australia in a few weeks, and I'm tempted to go back out there." With Carmen now in Aussie cinemas and also screening at the New Zealand International Film Festival, the acclaimed dancer-turned-filmmaker chatted about swapping North America for Broken Hill, giving Prosper Mérimée's novella and Georges Bizet's opera his own spin, his leads, being driven by Succession composer Nicholas Britell's new score, and what he learned in making the leap from performing — or didn't. ON REIMAGINING CARMEN "I wanted to lean on a classical tragedy. I was instinctively attracted to it culturally, for its relationship to the Roma culture — and this idea of someone expressing her freedom through dance. Those were those were the key components. And really thinking that this would be a musical that was a drama with music and dance — that fantasy, that the dancing, would come through dreams, and that it was a drama. I think people forget that there's actually very few musicals that have a more realistic [approach] — here, of course, we're not fully in in realism, but I think that it's still a dark film. That's quite unusual for musicals, because you can make very light musicals, fluffy musicals, where people sing and dance. I probably will make something lighter like that. Hopefully, maybe someday, I get the opportunity. But that's not Carmen — Carmen took a different sort of sense." ON MAKING A DRAMA WITH DANCE, RATHER THAN A CLASSICAL MUSICAL, TO SUIT THE STORY "I don't think you can tackle a political subject like that and just have migrants dancing, for example. I think the subject matter implied that we had to bring a certain depth to the approach of how dance and music existed in the film. When I started to look at the history of the Roma culture in South America, and I started to think about the border — I don't know how it came up — I found out there's an important Roma community that migrated to Mexico in the early 20th century. And that story was quite fascinating, and the way they live, and the way that Mexican culture influenced their own, as they did in everywhere they went, and took on traditions and cultures. So it just made a lot of sense, this idea of the Roma culture being free and moving through the world, and with deep traditions. It made sense to set it on the Mexico-US border." ON AUSTRALIA STANDING IN FOR NORTH AMERICA "When I when I realised that I couldn't shoot in Mexico because of COVID and everything, and I had scouted and I'd done all this work, I looked at Australia because we were supposed to go there. It just made sense. I felt like I could pull it off, and I actually thought that the heightened reality that I was thinking of could really work there — I would just push that element, make it real. So that's how I thought of it, and it worked great. It was really incredible to shoot in in Australia. Just creatively, the team that I had was was really amazing. I loved it out there. We were really so lucky, and it actually looked a lot like the desert in the north of Mexico where I say it is early in the film. It was just this proximity in landscape that was really, really incredible." ON CASTING MELISSA BARRERA AND PAUL MESCAL, AND CAPITALISING UPON THEIR CHEMISTRY It's not easy to find someone who could really be a triple threat — dance and sing and act, and have that kind of magnetism, and [is] Mexican. She was really right. She was really perfect. I needed someone who was believable as a marine. I needed someone who was a real man — someone who was physical, who wasn't a dancer. He was perfect. I mean, how amazing is he in the film! She prepared a lot in terms of movement, in terms of flamenco. She prepared quite a bit, and so did he. You just hope that [the chemistry] is something that happens. You don't know. I mean, you get them together, but you just hope for the best, honestly." ON THE IMPORTANCE OF NICHOLAS BRITELL'S SCORE "The score implied so much of the film. We started with the music — so essentially the whole visual language came from the music, I would say. That was really wonderful. I even had score written that I could play on set. I think what I'm so proud of for this score is just it's so unique — so unique a sound for film, and it's filled with different influences, which is what we were going for. It's been a really beautiful journey with the music. When you hear the last hip hop track, it has West African rhythm influences. When you hear the choir, it's Eastern Europe voices — and then you have the French in the lyrics. And yet you have synths and strings, and so it's really rich in terms of its influences. That's what makes the score so unique. People wouldn't necessarily know it, but it is that way very specifically unique, I think. And I'm really proud of that for Nick, and for the film, that it doesn't sound like any other score that you've heard." ON MAKING HIS FEATURE DIRECTORIAL DEBUT WITH CARMEN "[It springs] from years of wanting to, of playing with film and the camera, and having a desire to actually make a film. It didn't come from one single thing. I think it's my love for photography, for film, for being interested in it — curious to, essentially, explore my own expression in something that has a bit more of an intellectual approach, in a way, and less instinctive like dance. Dance, I can just walk in the studio and just create something out of my dream — but a movie, you're interested in a theme, then you understand why, then you have to dig into it. I learned a lot through the process — of what to do, what not to do. And particularly the screenwriting stuff for me. I'm excited to to do it again, frankly." ON LEARNING FROM DANCING, CHOREOGRAPHY, BLACK SWAN AND DUNE FOR HIS FIRST FEATURE — OR NOT "I think nothing prepares you for really directing a film. I mean, there's little elements, but the magnitude of directing a film is so big that, no, it doesn't prepare you. But that's okay. I think there's a lot you can prepare yourself for, and yet there's so much to learn once you do it — and I love that. I love being thrown in the fire and and having to figure out everything on the go. I will make hopefully at some point a second film with so much more understanding of how do it." Carmen opened in Australian cinemas on July 13, and plays the 2023 New Zealand International Film Festival. Read our review. Images: Lisa Tomasetti / Goalpost Pictures.
Spritzn' in piazzas under sunny skies trumps being in the office, but it can still be a tad overwhelming. Europe in summer is a melting pot of experiences and adventures, but sometimes these aren't as effortless as they seem on Instagram. Seemingly spontaneous trips perhaps require a bit more planning. Whether you're in a capital city or a charming regional town, it can be hard not to fall into the same obvious touristy routine, especially when it comes to food. To help you get that authentic European experience, we've rounded up some culinary adventures that leave it to the locals and pros to show you the ropes. From truffle hunting in regional France to oyster farming on the Croatian peninsula, we've got you covered. You'll eat well and have a fine old time if you're lucky enough to be trotting around Europe this summer. FOOD AND WINE TOUR WITH A SOMMELIER — BARCELONA, SPAIN Home to architectural marvels, beautiful beaches, and energetic nightlife, Barcelona also has an incredible food and wine scene to explore. If you want to dig a bit deeper and dine like a local, then embark on a Food and Wine Tour. A certified sommelier will take you around the city's coolest hidden gems, from cosy restaurants to hip wine bars. The expert will talk you through a range of delicious local tapas paired perfectly with an assortment of excellent wines from different Spanish regions. This tour will take you away from the city crowds into charming local neighbourhoods where the modern Spanish hospitality scene is thriving. You'll also be taken through the historical Sant Antoni Market, where the locals come to buy their produce. BOOK IT NOW. DISCOVER THE WORLD OF TRUFFLES AND TASTING — MAREY-LÈS-FUSSEY, FRANCE Burgundy isn't known only for its succulent wines. Another delicacy awaits your discovery: the Burgundy truffle. In the charming village of Marey-lès-Fussey, you'll find Mille Truffes House, run by the father-son duo Thierry and Yan. Let the human and canine experts take you through a specialty truffle experience, where you'll experience a truffle hunt with the ultimate pro, Julio the dog. After digging up your treasures, it's time to sample their delicate flavours with a tasting. There's no better way to embrace that old-school regional French charm while learning about a truly fascinating delicacy. Plus, it's a great way to break up all that wine-tasting and give your palate a bit of time to replenish. BOOK IT NOW. SEAFOOD TOUR — STON, CROATIA Ston and Mali Ston are charming coastal towns linked by one of the longest city walls in the world. The area is known for its blue waters and picturesque fishing villages. But most of all it's known for having some of the best oysters in Europe (and the world). Dive into the best Croatian cuisine has to offer by booking a Ston Gastro Tour on the Pelješac Peninsula. Discover the peninsula by boat and sail through the bay to see oyster farms up close. Be sure to try your fresh oysters paired with local wine. Back on land, walk through the historical town and discover local gems — choose fresh mussels or fish risotto for an authentic Croatian lunch. BOOK IT NOW. EXERCISE YOUR CHEESE GEEK — PARIS, FRANCE Whether you know your brie from your camembert or don't normally venture beyond the classic block of cheddar, a trip to Paris is not complete without a deep dive into the wonderful world of French cheese. The Become a Cheese Geek Tasting is highly rated, so we know you'll leave geekier than ever. Discover a plethora of flavours at La Cheese Room in Belleville, where you will warm up the senses with some blind tastings. Then, move on to a tasting of six farmhouse cheeses from around France, accompanied by paired beverages. Let the experts tell you all about the cheesemaking process and serving tips so you can impress while entertaining back home. You will walk out full of cheese and knowledge. BOOK IT NOW. FOOD AND WINE TOUR WITH A LOCAL CHEF — BOLOGNA, ITALY Bologna is known as the food capital of Italy, and for very good reason. This medieval city in the Emilia-Romagna region is the birthplace of balsamic vinegar and parmigiano reggiano cheese (among many other delicacies). With endless trattorias, markets and wares, it can be overwhelming to know where to begin. Luckily, Chef Fred's Bologna Food & Wine Tour will help you make the most of your culinary journey. Avoid the tourist spots and embrace the experience of eating like a true Bolognese local at hidden downtown venues. Venture to the oldest markets, savour a traditional tigella sandwich, relish a slice of bolognese pizza or indulge in local cake. Then wash it all down with a wine tasting and finish with some gelato. Fred has a treasure trove of local secrets to share, guiding you to the very best the city has to offer. Just make sure you arrive hungry. BOOK IT NOW. VESTERBRO CULTURAL TOUR AND BEER TASTING — COPENHAGEN, DENMARK Copenhagen has been a pioneer in the hospitality and culinary scene for quite some time now. The city boasts trendy cafe spots, Michelin-starred dining, natural wine bars, and, of course, beer. Danish beer and pubs stand out as the most approachable and time-honoured expressions of Copenhagen's hospo-scene, reflecting the city's cultural landscape. At the heart of this captivating culture lies the Vesterbro neighbourhood. Once a red-light district, it is currently acknowledged by Lonely Planet as one of the coolest in the world. To truly grasp the essence of this vibrant area, embark on a Cultural Tour with Beer Tasting. You'll spend an afternoon exploring the town with locals, delving into its distinctive history and indulging in some golden Vesterbro brews at locally adored pubs and bars. BOOK IT NOW. BOGOVE WATERFALL AND WINE TASTING — BERAT, ALBANIA We've been seeing Albania, with its ridiculously beautiful scenery, pop up more and more on our feeds. This small country is gaining popularity with tourists, and rightly so. Along with its stunning nature, rich history and warm hospitality, Albania's rich terrains also make it any wine lover's dream. So, if you find yourself in Albanian paradise, be sure to experience the best of both nature and wine with a Bogove Waterfall and Wine Tasting Tour. Located in the stunning seaside city of Berat, you will find the Bogovë National Park, where the iconic Sleeping Pearl waterfall practically begs you to jump into its crystal-clear waters. The tour takes you through the idyllic park with a scenic hike and swim, plus a visit to the historical Poliçan (the 'city of weapons'). After a healthy dose of nature and history, end the day at Pupa winery. It's the perfect place to taste wine made with local grapes alongside traditional Albanian snacks. BOOK IT NOW. WINE AND TAPAS TASTING — LISBON, PORTUGAL Portugal's largest city is a global favourite, and overflowing with charm and culinary delights. If you are lucky enough to travel to Lisbon, make the most of it by embracing the rich wine and tapas culture. Let the local pros guide you with a premium two-hour wine and tapas tasting. Discover the diversity of Portuguese wine with glasses from small producers. Your drops will be accompanied by local cheeses, meats and more. The legendary Pata Negra ham will be sure to make an appearance (the most awarded ham in the world) and a selection of Portuguese extra-virgin olive oil. Your guide will tell you all the ins and outs of the local wine and produce, so you will end the day filled with delicious delicacies and knowledge to flex back at home. BOOK IT NOW. SAILING AND GASTRONOMY AROUND ATHENS — ATHENS, GREECE Greece is a must for Euro-summer travellers for a reason. Not only does it offer insane views, beautiful beaches, great nightlife and a fascinating ancient history, it also has some seriously good food on offer. And if you're stopping off in Athens on your holiday, you can taste all of it with a Sailing & Gastronomy Tour. Pick from a number of packages and enjoy a day on the sea. Gaze at turquoise blue waters and a unique view of the city while enjoying a feast prepared by a private chef. Expect a traditional menu with a variety of Greek delicacies, plus a well-chosen selection of Greek wine, beer and liquor to wash it all down. There is nothing quite like enjoying fresh Greek food under blue skies with the sea breeze ruffling your hair. BOOK IT NOW. Feeling inspired to book a truly unique getaway? Head to Concrete Playground Trips to explore a range of holidays curated by our editorial team. We've teamed up with all the best providers of flights, stays and experiences to bring you a series of unforgettable trips to destinations all over the world.
The more time that anyone spends in the kitchen, the easier that whipping up their chosen dish gets. The Bear season two is that concept in TV form, even if the team at The Original Beef of Chicagoland don't always live it as they leap from running a beloved neighbourhood sandwich joint to opening a fine-diner, and fast. The hospitality crew that was first introduced in the best new show of 2022 isn't lacking in culinary skills or passion. But when chaos surrounds you constantly, as bubbled and boiled through The Bear's Golden Globe-winning, Emmy-nominated season-one frames, not everything always goes to plan. That was only accurate for Carmen 'Carmy' Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White, Shameless) and his colleagues on-screen, however; for viewers, the series' debut run was as perfect a piece of television as anyone can hope for. Excellent news: season two is better. Streaming via Disney+ Down Under from Wednesday, July 19 — arriving a month after it hit the US, making Australian and New Zealand audiences wait for a repeat reservation just like last year — The Bear season two serves up another sublime course of comedy, drama and "yes chef!"-exclaiming antics across its sizzling stretch. Actually make that ten more courses, one per episode, with each new instalment its own more-ish meal. A menu, a loan, desperately needed additional help, oh-so-much restaurant mayhem: that's how this second visit begins, as Carmy and sous chef Sydney (Ayo Edebiri, I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson) endeavour to make their dreams for their own patch of Chicago's food scene come true. So far, so familiar, but The Bear isn't just plating up the same dishes this time around. At every moment, this new feast feels richer, deeper and more seasoned, including when it's as intense as ever, when it's filling the screen with tastebud-tempting food shots that relish culinary artistry, and also when it gets meditative. For Carmy, Syd, the former's sister Natalie aka Sugar (Abby Elliott, Indebted), and lifelong pal Richie aka Cousin (Ebon Moss-Bachrach, No Hard Feelings) — plus The Beef and now The Bear's baker-turned-pastry chef Marcus (Lionel Boyce, Hap and Leonard), veteran line cooks Tina (Liza Colón-Zayas, In Treatment) and Ebraheim (Edwin Lee Gibson, Fargo), and resident Mr Fixit Neil Fak (IRL chef Matty Matheson) — it's all systems go from the instant that the show's second season starts. With his James Beard Award and experience at the world's top restaurants, Carmy has never been one to take things slowly or calmly. Relaunching the space that he inherited after his brother Mikey's (Jon Bernthal, We Own This City) death is no different, even after Carmy found $300,000 in cash sealed tins of tomatoes to close out season one. In cooking, money just buys ingredients and equipment. Here, while The Beef team has scored itself a hefty stash, those funds can't quite purchase enough. Swiftly, Carmy and Syd enlist Sugar as their project manager so that they can focus on conjuring up the new restaurant's customer-courting spread — and they're asking the Berzattos' uncle Cicero (Oliver Platt, Chicago Med), their main investor, for extra aid just as promptly. Creator Christopher Storer (Ramy, Dickinson and Bo Burnham: Make Happy), also the dramedy's frequent writer and director, brings the heat and the bedlam early. He tests and stresses his kitchen-obsessed characters in their favourite surroundings, where they spent the opening season just surviving. Season two pushes them towards thriving by growing and learning, though, complete with new insights into Carmy and company, plus new ways to drizzle out their hopes, wants, fears and hungers. The Bear's smorgasbord of havoc continues, then, but paired with savouring what quieter moments everyone can manage to stick on their forks. When Carmy runs into his old friend Claire (Shiva Baby and Booksmart's Molly Gordon), who is now a doctor, he finds something to enjoy beyond being a chef for the first time in far too long (certainly the first time in the show's narrative). Their relationship blossoms, taking the workaholic's focus away from his about-to-open restaurant. That causes struggles, too, but The Bear has always appreciated life's unexpected alchemies. When Carmy ditches plans to hop around town with Syd to glean culinary inspiration for the menu, for instance, she's initially peeved. Then her tasting tour of the Windy City, which is also a visual tour of some of its famous places and names for viewers, proves both revelatory and rewarding. The clock keeps ticking, with Cicero's extra cash speeding up the opening date. The deadline: 12 weeks. Whenever The Bear is at The Bear, the non-stop pressure-cooker energy blisters like grabbing a steel-handled saucepan off the stove with your bare hands. Season one was exceptional at thrusting its audience into the hustle and bustle of working in hospitality as if they were really there, warts, woes and all. Season two doesn't falter on that front. But when The Bear isn't at The Bear, it lets its usually frantic figures make themselves over, including by sending Marcus to a Noma-esque venue in Copenhagen under the tutelage of Luca (Will Poulter, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3) and getting Richie to spend a week learning the upscale ropes at one of the city's best restaurants. This season's performances as a result: exquisite. Marcus' trip to Denmark spans an entire episode, the only chapter in the show's 18 across both seasons to-date that isn't directed by either Storer or executive producer Joanna Calo. Instead, Ramy Youssef steps in, invests the lived-in feel that's so much a part of his own impressive series, and revels in the eye-opening minutiae of being a visitor in a new place learning fresh skills. Storer is back at the helm of Richie's dedicated instalment, but it too benefits from broadening its horizons and getting out of its comfort zone. So does Cousin. In his typically abrasive way, he isn't happy about being sent away, taking it as punishment. In one of The Bear's finest exchanges yet, however, he has his entire perception altered in a touching conversation that adds Oscar-winner Olivia Colman (Secret Invasion) to the season's guest stars. Well-known names must've been lining up to join The Bear: fellow Academy Award-recipient Jamie Lee Curtis (Halloween Ends) also features, likely nabbing herself a 2024 Best Guest Actress Emmy, alongside Bob Odenkirk (Lucky Hank), Sarah Paulson (Ratched) and John Mulaney (Bupkis). That smattering of talent appears in a double-lengthy episode that jumps back to the past, demonstrates how chaos would've been in Carmy's blood regardless of if he became a chef — including when food is involved — and is as nerve-shredding and brilliantly acted as the series gets. You can't just taste the same bites over and over again, season two's detours advise. You're chomping into history whenever you sink your teeth into anything, this particular episode also conveys. The Bear burns brighter thanks to both trains of thought and, even with season one stetting such a high bar, couldn't be more appetising and satisfying. Long may it keep spending time in streaming's kitchen, bettering something that's already proven perfect. Check out the trailer for The Bear season two below: The Bear season two streams via Disney+ Down Under from Wednesday, July 19. Read our full review of season one. Images: Chuck Hodes/FX.
A superstar Hong Kong bar dedicated to mezcal and tequila has just been named the number one bar in Asia for 2023 at the annual '50 Best' awards which took place in Hong Kong overnight. The victorious establishment COA (pictured above) located in Central Hong Kong and helmed by acclaimed bartender-owner Jay Khan, has retained the number one spot on the list for the third consecutive year, demonstrating that excellence and consistency can go hand-in-hand — even when tequila is heavily involved. [caption id="attachment_909998" align="alignnone" width="1920"] COA's Head of Operations Ajit Gurung and Owner Jay Khan[/caption] The top 50 features bars from 17 cities across Asia from Taipei to Tokyo, providing ample inspiration for destination drinking on your next trip to the continent. The bars that made the top five spanned five different countries. At #2 was perennial favourite Jigger & Pony in Singapore — inarguably one of the most influential businesses in getting the Asian bar scene on the map. At #3 is the glitzy BKK Social Club located at the Four Seasons Hotel in Bangkok. Then at #4 is Tokyo favourite Bar Benfiddich, a delightfully oddball 14-seater bar in the hectic Shinjuku district that champions farm-to-bar cocktails. And rounding out the top five, at #5 is the beautifully-designed Seoul venue Zest, which also took out the Highest Climber Award for 2023 after jumping an astounding 43 positions from last year's 50 Best list. Explore the full list below and start making notes for your next getaway. [caption id="attachment_909985" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Inside Tokyo's tiny Bar Benfiddich[/caption] Asia's 50 Best Bars 2023 1. Coa, Hong Kong 2. Jigger & Pony, Singapore 3. BKK Social Club, Bangkok 4. Bar Benfiddich, Tokyo 5. Zest, Seoul 6. Tropic City, Bangkok 7. Nutmeg & Clove, Singapore 8. Argo, Hong Kong 9. Darkside, Hong Kong 10. Sago House, Singapore 11. Indulge Experimental Bistro, Taipei 12. Vesper, Bangkok 13. Cham Bar, Seoul 14. The SG Club, Tokyo 15. Analogue Initiative, Singapore 16. Republic, Singapore 17. The Aubrey, Hong Kong 18. Sidecar, New Delhi 19. The Cocktail Club, Jakarta 20. Virtù, Tokyo (winner of the Highest New Entry Award) 21. Manhattan, Singapore 22. Mahaniyom Cocktail Bar, Bangkok 23. Lamp Bar, Nara 24. 28 HongKong Street, Singapore 25. Le Chamber, Seoul 26. Penicillin, Hong Kong 27. Atlas, Singapore 28. Alice, Seoul 29. Pantja, Jakarta 30. Employees Only, Singapore 31. Quinary, Hong Kong 32. Stay Gold Flamingo, Singapore 33. Mostly Harmless, Hong Kong 34. The Curator, Manila 35. The Bombay Canteen, Mumbai 36. Bar Trigona, Kuala Lumpur 37. Southside Parlor, Seoul 38. Copitas, Bengaluru 39. Hope & Sesame, Guangzhou 40. Smoke & Bitters, Hiriketiya 41. Vender, Taichung 42. Native, Singapore 43. The Public House, Taipei 44. Bee's Knees, Kyoto 45. High Five, Tokyo 46. Soko, Seoul 47. The Old Man, Hong Kong 48. The Living Room, Mumbai 49. The Bellwood, Tokyo 50. Penrose Kuala, Lumpur Main image: COA
Fans of Australian mysteries, page-to-screen crime tales, Eric Bana (Dirty John) getting sleuthing and all things Aaron Falk, you'll have to wait a bit longer for your most-anticipated Aussie film of 2023. With the SAG-AFTRA strike currently in effect, and Bana a member of the union, Australian and New Zealand distributor Roadshow Films — in consultation with the filmmakers — has decided to push back The Dry sequel Force of Nature: The Dry 2 from its planned August release. "It is with some regret, but a large amount of conviction, that we have decided to postpone the release of Force of Nature: The Dry 2. I'm incredibly proud of this much-anticipated Australian film and want to be able to do it justice by promoting it thoroughly," said Bana in a statement. "Due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, of which I am a longstanding member, it is not possible to do that at this time. Just as we did with The Dry, our plan is to be face to face with the cinemagoing public through event screenings, Q&As and press appearances at the time of release. I stand in support of the changes that SAG-AFTRA are fighting for on behalf of all working actors. I apologise for any inconvenience it causes anyone who has pre purchased tickets to our already soldout Q&A sessions. Thanks for your understanding. See you at a cinema soon," Bana continued. When the Aussie star stepped into Falk's shoes in The Dry, more movies were always bound to follow. On the screen, the film became a massive Australian box-office hit in 2021 thanks to its twisty mystery, determined detective, stunning scenery and spectacular cast. It was capitalising, of course, on the story's proven success on the page. And, to the delight of movie producers and audiences, the beloved novel by author Jane Harper was just Falk's first appearance. Accordingly, throw that formula together again and you now have Force of Nature: The Dry 2, the big-screen sequel that no longer has a release date — with exactly when it'll hit cinemas now yet to be confirmed. This follow-up sees the core duo of Bana and writer/director Robert Connolly (Blueback) return, with the latter again investigating a case. This time, as both the movie's initial teaser and full trailer explore, Falk is looking into the disappearance of a hiker from a corporate retreat attended by five women. Alongside fellow federal agent Carmen Cooper (Jacqueline McKenzie, Ruby's Choice), Falk heads deep into Victoria's mountain ranges to try to find the missing traveller — who also happens to be a whistle-blowing informant — alive. Also featuring in Force of Nature, which has a powerhouse list of Aussie talent just like its predecessor: Anna Torv (The Last of Us) as missing hiker Alice Russell, plus Deborra-Lee Furness (Jindabyne), Robin McLeavy (Homeland), Sisi Stringer (Mortal Kombat) and Lucy Ansell (Utopia). Richard Roxburgh (Aunty Donna's Coffee Cafe), Tony Briggs (Preppers) and Kenneth Radley (The Power of the Dog) pop up, too, while Jeremy Lindsay-Taylor (Heartbreak High) is back in the role of Erik Falk. Reteaming not just after The Dry, but also fellow 2023 release Blueback, Connolly and Bana make quite the pair when it comes to Aussie crime cinema — with Connolly the producer of one of the best local crime movies ever made, aka 1998's unnerving The Boys, and Bana famously the star of the similarly excellent Chopper. It's likely that this won't be the last big movie that's delayed due to the current actors' strike, with Hollywood talents fighting against diminishing residual payments for performers, and to establish firm rules about the future use of artificial intelligence in the industry. When they took action in mid-July, SAG-AFTRA's members joined their counterparts in the Writers Guild of America, who've been striking since May. Check out the full trailer for Force of Nature: The Dry 2 below: Force of Nature: The Dry 2 doesn't currently have a release date for Australian and New Zealand cinemas — we'll update you when one is announced. Read our full review of The Dry. Images: Narelle Portanier.
Long before getting cosy on the couch meant living the streaming dream, not all movies made it to cinemas, just as happens now. Back then, though, that's where the term 'straight to video' came in. Then, it was 'straight to DVD'. At the moment, if a film doesn't flicker in a picture palace, it's a straight-to-streaming release. Some such movies do receive a big-screen run, but only at a film festival. Others were only ever bound for watching at home. Either way, just because they didn't light up your local multiplex or arthouse go-to for weeks on end, that doesn't mean these flicks aren't worth a look. Indeed, some of 2023's viewing highlights are straight-to-streaming films — whether you're fond of Oscar-nominated documentaries, Aubrey Plaza-led heist flicks, walk-and-talk rom-coms, unsettling horror gems or intimate portraits of famous faces. With 2023 now into its second half, we've made our picks of the year's best straight-to-streaming gems from January–June. Obviously, you can watch them all now. ALL THAT BREATHES Pictures can't tell all of All That Breathes' story, with Delhi-based brothers Nadeem Shehzad and Mohammad Saud's chats saying plenty that's essential. In the documentary's observational style, their conversation flits in and out of the film — sometimes, there's narration, too — giving it many meaningful words. Still, the images that Shaunak Sen (Cities of Sleep) lets flow across the screen in this Sundance- and Cannes-winner, and also 2023 Oscar-nominee, are astonishing. And, befitting this poetic meditative and ruminative doco's pace and mood, they do flow. All That Breathes' main pair adore the black kites that take to India's skies and suffer from its toxic air quality, tending to the creatures' injuries. As Sen watches, he adores them as well. Viewers will, too. Indeed, if there wasn't a single syllable uttered, with the movie just leaning on cinematographers Ben Bernhard (Talking About the Weather), Riju Das (14 Phere) and Saumyananda Sahi's (Trial by Fire) sights, plus Niladri Shekhar Roy ('83) and Moinak Bose's (Against the Tide) sound recording, the end result still would've been revelatory. This film trills about urban development, its costs and consequences, and caring for others both animal and human — and it says oh-so-much. It notes how everything that the earth's predominant inhabitants do has environmental impacts for the creatures that we share the planet with, including quests for economic dominance and political control. All That Breathes peers on as its subjects' tasks get harder even as they earn global attention, receive more funding and build their dream hospital. It sees how they put the majestic kites' wellbeing above their own, even as the numbers of birds needing their help just keeps growing. This is a documentary about animals falling from the skies due to pollution, two siblings trying to help them soar again, why that's so vital and what the whole situation says about life on earth — and it's vital and spectacular viewing. All That Breathes streams via Neon. EMILY THE CRIMINAL Enterprising, astute, intelligent and accepting zero garbage from anyone: these are traits that Aubrey Plaza can convey in her sleep. But she definitely isn't slumbering in Emily the Criminal, which sees her turn in a performance as weighty and layered as her deservedly Golden Globe- and Emmy-nominated portrayal in the second season of The White Lotus — something that she's been doing since her Parks and Recreation days anyway. Indeed, there's more than a touch of April Ludgate-Dwyer's resourcefulness to this crime-thriller's eponymous figure. Los Angeles resident Emily Benetto isn't sporting much apathy, however; she can't afford to. With $70,000 in student loans to her name for a college art degree she isn't using working as a food delivery driver, and a felony conviction that's getting in the way of securing any gig she's better qualified for for, Jersey girl Emily breaks bad to make bank when she's given a tip about a credit card fraud ring run by Youcef (Theo Rossi, Sons of Anarchy). Her simple task: purchasing everything from electronics to cars with the stolen numbers. Writer/director John Patton Ford makes his feature debut with this lean, sharp, keenly observed and tightly paced film, which works swimmingly and grippingly as a heist thriller with plenty to say about the state of America today — particularly about a society that saddles folks starting their working lives with enormous debts, turning careers in the arts into the domain of the wealthy, and makes even the slightest wrongdoing a life sentence. Emily the Criminal is angry about that state of affairs, and that ire colours every frame. But it's as a character study that this impressive film soars highest, stepping through the struggles, troubles and desperate moves of a woman trapped not by her choices but her lack of options, all while seeing her better-off classmates breeze through life. As she usually is, Plaza is mesmerising, and adds another complicated movie role to a resume that also boasts the phenomenal Ingrid Goes West and Black Bear as well. Emily the Criminal streams via Neon. HUESERA: THE BONE WOMAN The sound of cracking knuckles is one of humanity's most anxiety-inducing. The noise of clicking bones elsewhere? That's even worse. Both help provide Huesera: The Bone Woman's soundtrack — and set the mood for a deeply tense slow-burner that plunges into maternal paranoia like a Mexican riff on Rosemary's Baby, the horror subgenre's perennial all-timer, while also interrogating the reality that bringing children into the world isn't a dream for every woman no matter how much society expects otherwise. Valeria (Natalia Solián, Red Shoes) is thrilled to be pregnant, a state that hasn't come easily. After resorting to praying at a shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in desperation, neither she nor partner Raúl (Alfonso Dosal, Narcos: Mexico) could be happier, even if her sister Vero (Sonia Couoh, 40 Years Young) caustically comments that she's never seemed that interested in motherhood before. Then, two things shake up her hard-fought situation: a surprise run-in with Octavia (Mayra Batalla, Everything Will Be Fine), the ex-girlfriend she once planned to live a completely different life with; and constant glimpses of a slithering woman whose unnatural body movements echo and unsettle. Filmmaker Michelle Garza Cervera (TV series Marea alta) makes her fictional narrative debut with Huesera: The Bone Woman, directing and also writing with first-timer Abia Castillo — and she makes a powerfully chilling and haunting body-horror effort about hopes, dreams, regrets and the torment of being forced into a future that you don't truly foresee as your own. Every aspect of the film, especially Nur Rubio Sherwell's (Don't Blame Karma!) exacting cinematography, reinforces how trapped that Valeria feels even if she can't admit it to herself, and how much that attempting to be the woman Raúl and her family want is eating away at her soul. Solián is fantastic at navigating this journey, including whether the movie is leaning into drama or terror at any given moment. You don't need expressive eyes to be a horror heroine, but she boasts them; she possesses a scream queen's lungs, too. Unsurprisingly, Cervera won the Nora Ephron Award for best female filmmaker at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival for this instantly memorable nightmare. Huesera: The Bone Woman streams via Shudder. RYE LANE When Dom (David Jonsson, Industry) and Yas (Vivian Oparah, Then You Run) are asked how they met, they tell a tale about a karaoke performance getting an entire bar cheering. Gia (Karene Peter, Emmerdale Farm), Dom's ex, is both shocked and envious, even though she cheated on him with his primary-school best friend Eric (Benjamin Sarpong-Broni, The Secret). It's the kind of story a movie couple would love to spin — the type that tends to only happen in the movies, too. But even for Rye Lane's fictional characters, it's a piece of pure imagination. Instead, the pair meet in South London, in the toilet at an art show. He's crying in a stall, they chat awkwardly through the gender-neutral space's wall, then get introduced properly outside. It's clumsy, but they keep the conversation going even when they leave the exhibition, then find themselves doing the good ol' fashioned rom-com walk and talk, then slide in for that dinner rendezvous with the flabbergasted Gia. It's easy to think of on-screen romances gone by during British filmmaker Raine Allen-Miller's feature debut — working with a script from Bloods duo Nathan Bryon and Tom Melia — which this charming Sundance-premiering flick overtly wants viewers to. There's a helluva sight gag about Love Actually, as well as a cameo to match, and the whole meandering-and-nattering setup helped make Before Sunrise, Before Sunset and Before Midnight an iconic trilogy. That said, as Rye Lane spends time with shy accountant Dom, who has barely left his parents' house since the breakup, and the outgoing costume designer Yas, who has her own recent relationship troubles casting a shadow, it isn't propelled by nods and winks. Rather, it's smart and savvy in a Starstruck way about paying tribute to what's come before while wandering down its own path. The lead casting is dynamic, with Jonsson and Oparah making a duo that audiences could spend hours with, and Allen-Miller's eye as a director is playful, lively, loving and probing. Rom-coms are always about watching people fall for each other, but this one plunges viewers into its swooning couple's mindset with every visual and sensory touch it can. Rye Lane streams via Disney+. DUAL New movie, familiar query: what would you do if you physically came face to face with yourself, and not just by looking in a mirror? Films about clones, including all-timer Moon and the recent Mahershala Ali (Alita: Battle Angel)-starring Swan Song, have long pondered this topic — and so has the Paul Rudd-led series Living with Yourself. In Dual, there's only one legal option. This sci-fi satire shares Swan Song's idea, allowing replicating oneself when fate deals out a bad hand. So, that's what Sarah (Karen Gillan, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3) does when she's told that she has a rare but terminal disease, and that her death is certain. Cloning is meant to spare her boyfriend Peter (Beulah Koale, Shadow in the Cloud) and her mother (Maija Paunio, Next of Kin) from losing her, making a difficult situation better for Sarah's loved ones. But when she doesn't die after all, the law states that, just like in Highlander, there can be only one. To decide who lives, Sarah and her doppelgänger must fight to the death in a public dual — with Trent (Aaron Paul, Better Call Saul) helping train the OG version. Even with its twist, on paper Dual sounds like a feature that any filmmaker could've made — one that any actor could've starred in, too. But this is the meaty, meaningful and memorable movie it is thanks to writer/director Riley Stearns and his excellent lead Gillan. With his penchant for deadpan, the former pondered working out who you truly are through an unlikely battle in 2019's very funny The Art of Self-Defense, and does so again here. He's also fond of exploring the struggle to embrace one's personality, and confronting the notion we all have in our minds that a better version of ourselves exists. That said, Dual plays like a sibling to The Art of Self-Defense, rather than a clone itself. It'd certainly be a lesser flick without Gillan, who sheds her Nebula makeup, wades out of the Jumanji franchise's jungles, and turns in two powerful and nuanced performances as Sarah and Sarah 2.0. And while Paul is in supporting mode, he's a scene-stealer. Dual streams via Neon. TETRIS The greatest game in the world can't make the leap to screens like most of its counterparts, whether they involve mashing buttons, playing campaigns or attempting to sink ships. A literal adaptation of Tetris would just involve four-piece bricks falling and falling — and while that's a tense and riveting sight when you're in charge of deciding where they land, and endeavouring to fill lines to make them disappear, it's hardly riveting movie viewing. As a film, Tetris is still gripping, however, all while telling the tale behind the puzzle video game that's been a phenomenon since the 80s. Did you have your first Tetris experience on an early Game Boy? This is the story of how that happened. Starring Taron Egerton (Black Bird) as Henk Rogers, the man who secured the rights to the Russian-born title for distribution on video game consoles worldwide, it's largely a dramatised account of the fraught negotiations when the west started to realise what a hit Tetris was, Nintendo got involved, but Soviet software engineer Alexey Pajitnov had no power over what happened to his creation because that was life in the USSR. Egerton is perfectly cast as the resourceful, charming and determined Rogers, a Dutch-born, American-raised, Japan-residing game designer who stumbles across Tetris at a tech conference while trying to sell a version of Chinese strategy game Go. First, his assistant can't stop playing it. Soon, he's seeing blocks in his dreams, as everyone does after playing (and then forever). Director Jon S Baird (Stan & Ollie) and screenwriter Noah Pink (Genius) have a games licensing battle to unpack from there, something that mightn't have been as thrilling as it proves — and certainly is no certainty on paper — in other hands. Stacking up this real-life situation's pieces involves becoming a savvy takedown of shady business deals, a compelling Russia-set spy flick and an exploration of daily existence in Soviet times, plus an upstart underdog story. And, Tetris does all that while gleefully and playfully bringing in the game's aesthetic, and blasting an appropriately synth-heavy soundtrack. Tetris streams via Apple TV+. GUY RITCHIE'S THE COVENANT Announcing his cinematic arrival with a pair of slick, witty, twisty and fast-paced British heist flicks, Guy Ritchie achieved at the beginning of his career something that many filmmakers strive for their whole lives: he cemented exactly what his features are in the minds of audiences. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch made "Guy Ritchie movie" an instantly understood term, in fact, as the writer/director has attempted to capitalise on since with differing results (see: Revolver, RocknRolla, The Gentlemen and Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre). Ritchie's third film, the Madonna-starring Swept Away, has also proven just as emblematic of his career, however. He loves pumping out stereotypical Guy Ritchie movies — he even adores making them Sherlock Holmes and King Arthur flicks, with mixed fortunes — but he also likes leaving his own conventions behind in The Man From UNCLE, Aladdin, Wrath of Man and now Guy Ritchie's The Covenant. Perhaps Ritchie's name is in the title of this Afghanistan-set action-thriller to remind viewers that the film does indeed boast him behind the lens, and as a cowriter; unlike with fellow 2023 release Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre, they wouldn't guess otherwise. Clunky moniker aside, Guy Ritchie's The Covenant is pared down, gripping and intense, and home to two excellent performances by Jake Gyllenhaal (Strange World) as Master Sergeant John Kinley and Dar Salim (Tatort) as his interpreter Ahmed. As the former leads a team that's looking for IED factories, the pair's collaboration is tentative at first. Then a raid goes wrong, Ahmed saves Kinley's life, but the recognition and support that'd be afforded an American solider in the same situation doesn't go the local's way. Where Afghan interpreters who aid US troops are left after their task is complete is a weighty subject, and treated as such in this grounded and moving film. Guy Ritchie's The Covenant streams via Prime Video. STILL: A MICHAEL J FOX MOVIE Anyone who lived through the 80s and/or 90s spent a large portion of both decades watching Michael J Fox. Thanks to Family Ties on TV and the Back to the Future movies in cinemas, he was everywhere — and courtesy of Teen Wolf, Doc Hollywood, The Frighteners and Spin City as well. The list of the beloved star's work from the era goes on. Forgotten one or some? Watch Still: A Michael J Fox Movie and you'll be reminded. This intimate documentary steps through the star's life, career and Parkinson's Disease diagnosis using three main modes: splicing together clips from his resume to help illustrate his narration, chatting with Fox now in candid to-camera segments, and hanging out with him and his family as he goes about his days. Each aspect of the film adds something not just important but engaging; however, all that footage from his time as Alex P Keaton, Marty McFly and more offers firm proof, if any more was needed, that Fox was an on-screen presence like no other three and four decades back. Oscar-winning An Inconvenient Truth documentarian Davis Guggenheim both shows and tells, always letting Fox's own words do the talking. Still: A Michael J Fox Movie takes the birth-to-now route, observing that its titular figure was always a kid on the go, then a teen who found himself in acting — a place where he could be anyone, regardless of his short stature — and then an aspiring actor slogging it out in Hollywood until he scored not one but two big breaks. The film also examines the fame and success, Fox's thinking that this'd now be his status quo, the moment his life changed and everything that's followed since. Yes, it notes that this story would've been completely different if Eric Stoltz had kept his Back to the Future job. Also, as Fox's memoirs are on the page, it's supremely self-deprecating. Still: A Michael J Fox Movie is unflinchingly honest, too, especially about his relationship with his wife Tracy Pollan — who, when asked how she is, Fox replies "married to me, still". Still: A Michael J Fox Movie streams via Apple TV+. NIMONA Bounding from the page to the screen — well, from pixels first, initially leaping from the web to print — graphic novel-to-film adaptation Nimona goes all in on belonging. Ballister Boldheart (Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal) wants to fit in desperately, and is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve it. In this animated movie's medieval-yet-futuristic world, there's nothing more important and acclaimed than being part of the Institute for Elite Knights, so that's his aim. Slipping into armour usually isn't possible for someone who grew up on the wrong side of this realm's tracks, as he did, but Ballister has been given a chance by Queen Valerin (Lorraine Toussaint, The Equalizer), who says that anyone can now be a hero. Alas, just as he's about to have his sword placed upon his shoulder with all the world watching, tragedy strikes, then prejudice sets in. Even his fellow knight-in-training and boyfriend Ambrosius Goldenloin (Eugene Lee Yang, Star Wars: Visions), who boasts family ties to legendary monster-slaying heroine Gloreth (Karen Ryan, Under the Banner of Heaven), believes that Ballister is responsible. His only ally? Nimona's namesake (Chloë Grace Moretz, The Peripheral), a shapeshifter who offers to be his sidekick regardless of his innocence or guilt. Nimona usually appears as a human girl, but can change into anything. The shapeshifter also wants to belong — but only by being accepted as she is. Unlike Ballister's feelings of inferiority about being a commoner, Nimona is happy with morphing from a kid to a rhinoceros, a whale to a shark, then between anything else that she can think of, and wouldn't give it up for anyone. Indeed, when Ballister keeps pestering her for reasons to explain why she is like she is, and asking her to remain as a girl, she's adamant. She already is normal, and she rightly won't budge from that belief. Animated with lively and colour animation that sometimes resembles Cartoon Saloon's Song of the Sea and Wolfwalkers, Nimona is a family-friendly adventure and, as penned as a comic by ND Stevenson (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power), also a clear, impassioned and sincere allegory for being true to yourself. As a film, directors Nick Bruno and Troy Quane (who also teamed up on Spies in Disguise) and screenwriters Robert L Baird (Big Hero 6) and Lloyd Taylor (another Spies in Disguise alum) ensure that it remains a thoughtful delight. Nimona streams via Netflix. PAMELA, A LOVE STORY If you weren't aware of Pamela Anderson's recent Broadway stint, bringing the razzle dazzle to a production of Chicago in 2022, Ryan White (Good Night Oppy)-directed documentary Pamela, A Love Story will still feature surprises. Otherwise, from Playboy to Playbill — including Baywatch, sex tapes and multiple marriages in-between — the actor's story is well-known around the globe. Much of it played out in the tabloids, especially when she married Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee in a white bikini after four days together. She also graced what can easily stake a claim as the internet's first viral video, after intimate footage of Anderson and Lee was stolen, then sold. And that very experience was dramatised in 2022 limited series Pam & Tommy, including the misogynistic way she was treated compared to her spouse, how her rights to her image and privacy were considered trashed due to her nude modelling days, and the unsurprising fallout within her relationship. No matter how familiar the details are, Pamela, A Love Story does something that little else on-screen has, however: it lets Anderson tell her story herself. Much of the doco focuses on the Barb Wire and Scary Movie 3 star in her childhood home in Ladysmith on Canada's Vancouver Island, watching old videos, reading past diaries and chatting through the contents. She's recorded and written about everything in her life. Sitting in front of the camera without a trace of makeup, with her sons Brandon and Dylan sometimes talking with her, she gives her account of how she's been treated during the highs and lows of her career. The film coincides with a memoir, Love, Pamela, so this is a tale that Anderson is currently on the page and in streaming queues — but it's still a powerful portrait of a woman made famous for her appearance, turned into a sex symbol to the point that male interviewers in the 90s could barely talk about anything else, then cruelly judged and discarded. She's frank and sincere, as is the movie amid its treasure trove of archival footage. Pamela, A Love Story streams via Netflix. WEIRD: THE AL YANKOVIC STORY If you've seen one music biopic, or some of the flicks that've earned actors Oscars or nominations in recent years for playing well-known rock stars — think: Bohemian Rhapsody and Elvis — then you know how this genre usually plays out. So does Weird Al Yankovic, who is strongly involved in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, co-writing, producing and even popping up on-screen. He doesn't give himself a solemn screen tribute, though. For decades, he's found pop music rife for satirising, and now his career spent spoofing hit songs gets sent up as well. The soundtrack is already hilarious, filled as it is with everything from 'My Bologna', 'I Love Rocky Road' and 'Another One Rides the Bus' to 'Eat It', 'Like a Surgeon' and 'Amish Paradise'. The casting is brilliantly hilarious as it is hilariously brilliant, too, with Daniel Radcliffe (The Lost City) sporting a mop of curls, grasping an accordion and wearing Yankovic's Hawaiian shirts like he was born to. Silly, happily self-mocking, not serious for a second: that's this joke-packed flick, which isn't quite as stuffed with gags as a typical Weird Al song, but is still filled with laughs — and still immensely funny. Unsurprisingly, much of Weird: The Al Yankovic Story plays like a collection of skits and sketches, whether visiting his childhood, showing how he scored his big break or charting his fame (which is Westworld's Evan Rachel Wood as a comical Madonna comes in), but it works. Yankovic co-writes with director Eric Appel, a parody veteran thanks to NTSF:SD:SUV, and they're joyfully on the same goofy, go-for-broke wavelength. So is Radcliffe, who keeps demonstrating that he's at his best when a certain Boy Who Lived is relegated to the past, and when he's getting as ridiculous as he possibly can. Forget the wizarding franchise — he's magical when he's at his most comic, as Miracle Workers keeps proving, and now this as well. Weird: The Al Yankovic Story streams via Neon. CONFESS, FLETCH Since Mad Men had Don Draper want to buy the world a Coke to end its seven-season run back in 2015, comedy has been Jon Hamm's friend. He's the ultimate TV guest star, building upon stints in 30 Rock and Parks and Recreation while Mad Men was still airing with Toast of London, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Curb Your Enthusiasm, on a resume that also includes The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret, Childrens Hospital, Medical Police, Angie Tribeca, The Last Man on Earth and Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp as well. So, casting him as the new Irwin Maurice 'Fletch' Fletcher couldn't be an easier move. Having fellow Mad Men standout John Slattery (The Good Fight) also appear in the latest flick about the investigative reporter, and the first since the Chevy Chase-led movies in the 80s, is another winning touch. Even if that reunion wasn't part of the film, Hamm is so entertaining that he makes a killer case for a whole new Fletch franchise — on whatever screen the powers-that-be like — with him at its centre. Hamm clearly understands how well he suits this type of character, and the genre; he's a comic delight, and he's also one of Confess, Fletch's producers. Superbad and Adventureland's Greg Mottola directs and co-writes, scripting with Outer Range's Zev Borow — and ensuring that Hamm and Slattery aren't the only acting highlights. Working through a plot that sees Fletch chasing a stolen artwork, discovering a dead body, and both looking into the crime and considered a suspect himself, the film also features engaging turns by always-welcome Twin Peaks great Kyle MacLachlan and Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar gem Annie Mumolo. There have been several attempts to revive Fletch over the past three decades, including separate projects with Ted Lasso duo Bill Lawrence and Jason Sudeikis — on the page, the character spans nine novels — but viewers should be thankful that this is the action-comedy that came to fruition, even if it skipped cinemas everywhere but the US. Confess, Fletch streams via Neon. HUNGER Let's call it the reality TV effect: after years of culinary contests carving up prime-time television, the savage on-screen steps into the food world just keep bubbling. The Bear turned the hospitality industry into not just a tension-dripping dramedy, but one of 2022's best new shows. In cinemas, British pressure-cooker Boiling Point and the sleek and sublimely cast The Menu have tasted from the same intense plate. Now Hunger sits down at the table, giving viewers another thriller of a meal — this time focusing on a Thai noodle cook who wants to be special. When Aoy's (Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying, One for the Road) street-food dishes based on her Nanna's recipes get the attention of fellow chef Tone (Gunn Svasti Na Ayudhya, Tootsies & the Fake), he tells her that she needs to be plying her talents elsewhere. In fact, he works for Chef Paul (Nopachai Jayanama, Hurts Like Hell), who specialises in the type of fine-dining dishes that only the wealthiest of the wealthy can afford, and is as exacting and demanding as the most monstrous kitchen genius that fiction has ever dreamed up. There's more to making it in the restaurant trade than money, acclaim and status, just like there's more to life as well. As told with slickness and pace, even while clocking in at almost two-and-a-half hours, that's the lesson that director Sitisiri Mongkolsiri (Folklore) and screenwriter Kongdej Jaturanrasamee (Faces of Anne) serve Aoy. She's tempted by the glitz and recognition, and being steeped in a world far different from her own; however, all that gleams isn't always palatable. Plot-wise, Hunger uses familiar ingredients, but always ensures that they taste like their own dish — in no small part thanks to the excellent casting of Chuengcharoensukying as the film's conflicted but determined lead. A model also known as Aokbab, she proved a revelation in 2017's cheating heist thriller Bad Genius, and she's just as compelling here. The two movies would make a high-stakes pair for more than just their shared star, both sinking their teeth into class commentary as well. Yes, like The Menu before it, Hunger is also an eat-the-rich flick, and loves biting into social inequity as hard as it can. Hunger streams via Netflix. VENGEANCE When Vengeance begins with a New Yorker journalist who's desperate to start his own podcast, Soho House hangouts and relationship advice from John Mayer as himself, it begins with rich and savvy character details. Writing, starring and making his feature directorial debut after helming episodes of The Office and The Mindy Project, BJ Novak instantly establishes the kind of person that Ben Manalowitz is. He shows the East Coast world that his protagonist inhabits, too — and, by focusing on the only guy in NYC without their own audio outlet, or so it seems, plus that romantic guidance, it splashes around its sense of humour. This is a sharply amusing mystery-comedy, and a highlight on Novak's resume in all three of his guises. It's also about subverting expectations, and lampooning the first impressions and broad stereotypes that are too often — and too easily — clung to. Indeed, Vengeance bakes in that idea as many ways as it can as Ben (Novak) does the most obvious thing he can to convince his producer (Issa Rae, Insecure) that his voice is worth hearing: bursts his Big Apple bubble. The Mayer bit isn't just a gag; it helps set up Ben as the kind of person who is dating so many women that he doesn't know which one has died after he gets a bereaved phone call from Texas in the middle of the night. On the other end is Ty Shaw (Boyd Holbrook, The Sandman), brother to Abilene (Lio Tipton, Why Women Kill), who insists that Ben head southwest immediately to attend her funeral — she claimed that they were serious enough that she's his girlfriend, after all. Upon arrival, the out-of-towner initially regards his hosts as jokes, and their lives and Abilene's death as content. Ty thinks she was murdered, and Ben couldn't be giddier about getting it all on tape and calling the series Dead White Girl. The journo's self-interest is up there with his obliviousness about anything that doesn't fit into his NYC orbit; however, this isn't a culture-clash comedy — thankfully — but a clever, self-aware and ambitious satire. It's also strikingly shot and features a standout performance by Ashton Kutcher (That '90s Show) as a suave record producer. Vengeance streams via Prime Video. BOSTON STRANGLER When it comes to films about reporters trying to track down serial killers, every movie made since 2007 will always stand in Zodiac's shadow. Still, while Boston Strangler isn't directed by David Fincher, it too is incredibly well-cast — Keira Knightley, Carrie Coon, Chris Cooper, Alessandro Nivola and David Dastmalchian lead the bill — and both quickly and deeply involving. It's also a dimly lit, grimly toned procedural-based drama about good old-fashioned hard work by smart people doing their utmost to stop a spate of horrendous killings, this time the murders terrorising Greater Boston in the 60s. Spotlight comes to mind, too, thanks to the focus on journalists cracking a case. While Boston Strangler won't win the Oscar for Best Picture, it smartly ponders something crucial in this true crime-heavy era: that bleak tales such as these, like all tales, change and evolve. Indeed, while the film focuses on reporting when the killings were happening, this case still had new developments as recently as ten years ago. Loretta McLaughlin (Knightley, Misbehaviour) is a lifestyle writer saddled with reviewing toasters and pleading with her editor Jack MacLaine (Cooper, Irresistible) for meaty work when she notices a pattern among a series of Boston deaths. On her own time, she investigates, realising that multiple women murdered by strangulation might be the work of a serial killer — and Boston Record American, her paper, breaks the story. With the more-experienced Jean Cole (Coon, The Nest), they keep covering the mounting deaths, and earning the ire of local cops even though lead detective Conley (Nivola, Amsterdam) is helpful. Suspicion settles on Albert DeSalvo (Dastmalchian, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania), but nothing is straightforward in this case. Boston Strangler, too, dives into the struggles of reporting on crimes so shocking, doing so as women often used by their publication as a readership stunt, trying to balance professional and personal commitments and, of course, battling to get to the truth — and to hold those responsible, as well as those meant to finding the culprit, to account. Boston Strangler streams via Disney+. Looking for more viewing highlights? Check out our list of film and TV streaming recommendations, which is updated monthly. We've also picked our top 15 movies that hit cinemas in the first half of 2023, as well as the 15 best new TV shows and 15 best returning TV shows of the year so far.
For TV fans, 2022 was the year of finally. After a couple of years of hefty pandemic delays, so many stellar television shows finally returned. In 2023 so far, it's been the year of farewells. Again, plenty of ace programs have added extra episodes — but some of them, such as Succession, Barry, Servant and The Marvelous Mrs Maisel, dropped back in for their final runs, then said goodbye. Revelling in the last glimpses of feuding families, actors-turned-hitmen, eerie nannies and comedians — and maybe AFC Richmond, too — has only been part of the viewing landscape among returning TV shows this year, though. Thankfully, when our screens delivered more time with high schoolers lost in the woods, for instance, it did so with the promise of more to follow. Elsewhere, the lineup of already-great series offering more instalments spanned everything from decade-plus comebacks to ridiculously brilliant sketches — plus shows about comebacks, dinosaurs, twisted technology, being trapped in a musical and more. Now that 2023 has passed its halfway point, we've rounded up the 15 best TV series that released another season between January and June. Binge them now if you haven't already. SUCCESSION Endings have always been a part of Succession. Since it premiered in 2018, the bulk of the HBO drama's feuding figures have been waiting for a big farewell. The reason is right there in the title, because for any of the Roy clan's adult children to scale the family company's greatest heights and remain there — be it initial heir apparent Kendall (Jeremy Strong, Armageddon Time), his inappropriate photo-sending brother Roman (Kieran Culkin, No Sudden Move), their political-fixer sister Siobhan (Sarah Snook, Pieces of a Woman), or eldest sibling and now-presidential candidate Connor (Alan Ruck, The Dropout) — their father Logan's (Brian Cox, Remember Me) tenure needed to wrap up. The latter was always stubborn. Proud, too, of what he'd achieved and the power it's brought. And whenever Logan seemed nearly ready to leave the business behind, he held on. If he's challenged or threatened, as happened again and again in the Emmy-winning series, he fixed his grasp even tighter. Succession was always been waiting for Logan's last stint at global media outfit Waystar RoyCo, but it had never been about finales quite the way it was in its stunning fourth season. This time, there was ticking clock not just for the show's characters, but for the stellar series itself, given that this is its last go-around — and didn't it make the most of it. Nothing can last forever, not even widely acclaimed hit shows that are a rarity in today's TV climate: genuine appointment-viewing. So, this went out at the height of its greatness, complete with unhappy birthday parties, big business deals, plenty of scheming and backstabbing, and both Shiv's husband Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen, Operation Mincemeat) and family cousin Greg (Nicholas Braun, Zola) in vintage form — plus an early shock, at least two of the best episodes of any show that've ever aired on television, one of the worst drinks, a phenomenal acting masterclass, a The Sopranos-level final shot and the reality that money really can't buy happiness. Succession streams via Neon. Read our full review. BARRY Since HBO first introduced the world to Barry Berkman, the contract killer played and co-created by Saturday Night Live great Bill Hader wanted to be something other than a gun for hire. An ex-military sniper, he was always skilled at his highly illicit post-service line of work; however, moving on from that past was a bubbling dream even before he found his way to a Los Angeles acting class while on a job. Barry laid bare its namesake's biggest wish in its 2018 premiere episode. Then, it kept unpacking his pursuit of a life less lethal across the show's Emmy-winning first and second seasons, plus its even-more-astounding third season in 2022. Season four, the series' final outing, was no anomaly, but it also realised that wanting to be someone different and genuinely overcoming your worst impulses aren't the same. Barry grappled with this fact since the beginning, of course, with the grim truth beating at the show's heart whether it's at its most darkly comedic, action-packed or dramatic — and, given that its namesake was surrounded by people who similarly yearn for an alternative to their current lot in life, yet also can't shake their most damaging behaviour, it did so beyond its antihero protagonist. Are Barry, his girlfriend Sally Reid (Sarah Goldberg, The Night House), acting teacher Gene Cousineau (Henry Winkler, Black Adam), handler Monroe Fuches (Stephen Root, Succession) and Chechen gangster NoHo Hank (Anthony Carrigan, Bill & Ted Face the Music) all that different from who they were when Barry started? Have they processed their troubles? Have they stopped taking out their struggles not just on themselves, but on those around them? Hader and his fellow Barry co-creator Alec Berg (Silicon Valley, Curb Your Enthusiasm) kept asking those questions in season four to marvellous results, including after making a massive jump, and right up to the jaw-dropping yet pitch-perfect finale. Barry being Barry, posing such queries and seeing its central figures for who they are was an ambitious, thrilling and risk-taking ride. When season three ended, it was with Barry behind bars, which is where he was when the show's new go-around kicked off. He wasn't coping, unsurprisingly, hallucinating Sally running lines in the prison yard and rejecting a guard's attempt to tell him that he's not a bad person. With the latter, there's a moment of clarity about what he's done and who he is, but Barry's key players have rarely been that honest with themselves for long. Barry streams via Neon. Read our full review. PARTY DOWN Sometimes, dreams do come true. More often than not, they don't. The bulk of life is what dwells in-between, as we all cope with the inescapable truth that we won't get everything that we've ever fantasised about, and we mightn't even score more than just a few things we want. This is the space that Party Down has always made its own, asking "are we having fun yet?" about life's disappointments while focusing on Los Angeles-based hopefuls played by Adam Scott (Severance), Ken Marino (The Other Two), Ryan Hansen (A Million Little Things), Martin Starr (Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities) and more. They'd all rather be doing something other than being cater waiters at an array of California functions, and most have stars in their eyes. In the cult comedy's first two seasons back in 2009–10, the majority of its characters had their sights set on show business, slinging hors d'oeuvres while trying to make acting, screenwriting or comedy happen. Bringing most of the original gang back together — including Jane Lynch (Only Murders in the Building) and Megan Mullally (Reservation Dogs) — Party Down keeps its shindig-by-shindig setup in its 13-years-later third season. Across its first 20 instalments as well as its new six, each episode sends the titular crew to a different soirée. This time, setting the scene for what's still one of the all-time comedy greats in its latest go-around, the opening get-together is thrown by one of their own. Kyle Bradway (Hansen) has just scored the lead part in a massive superhero franchise, and he's celebrating. Ex-actor Henry Pollard (Scott) is among the attendees, as are now-heiress Constance Carmell (Lynch) and perennial stage mum Lydia Dunfree (Mullally). Hard sci-fi obsessive Roman DeBeers (Starr) and the eager-to-please Ron Donald (Marino) are present as well, in a catering capacity. By the time episode two hits, then the rest of the season, more of the above will be donning pastel pink bow ties, the series keeps unpacking what it means to dream but never succeed, and the cast — especially Scott and the ever-committed Marino — are in their element. Party Down streams via TVNZ+. Read our full review of season three. YELLOWJACKETS For Shauna (Melanie Lynskey, The Last of Us), Natalie (Juliette Lewis, Welcome to Chippendales), Taissa (Tawny Cypress, Billions), Misty (Christina Ricci, Wednesday), Lottie (Simone Kessell, Muru) and Van (Lauren Ambrose, Servant), 1996 will always be the year that their plane plunged into the Canadian wilderness, stranding them for 19 tough months — as season one of 2021–2022 standout Yellowjackets grippingly established. As teenagers (as played by The Kid Detective's Sophie Nélisse, The Boogeyman's Sophie Thatcher, Scream VI's Jasmin Savoy, Shameless' Samantha Hanratty, Mad Max: Fury Road's Courtney Eaton and Santa Clarita Diet's Liv Hewson), they were members of the show's titular high-school soccer squad, travelling from their New Jersey home town to Seattle for a national tournament, when the worst eventuated. Cue Lost-meets-Lord of the Flies with an Alive twist, as that first season was understandably pegged. All isn't always what it seems as Shauna and company endeavour to endure in the elements. Also, tearing into each other occurs more than just metaphorically. Plus, literally sinking one's teeth in was teased and flirted with since episode one, too. But Yellowjackets will always be about what it means to face something so difficult that it forever colours and changes who you are — and constantly leaves a reminder of who you might've been. So, when Yellowjackets ended its first season, it was with as many questions as answers. Naturally, it tore into season two in the same way. In the present, mere days have elapsed — and Shauna and her husband Jeff (Warren Kole, Shades of Blue) are trying to avoid drawing any attention over the disappearance of Shauna's artist lover Adam (Peter Gadiot, Queen of the South). Tai has been elected as a state senator, but her nocturnal activities have seen her wife Simone (Rukiya Bernard, Van Helsing) move out with their son Sammy (Aiden Stoxx, Supergirl). Thanks to purple-wearing kidnappers, Nat has been spirited off, leaving Misty desperate to find her — even enlisting fellow citizen detective Walter (Elijah Wood, Come to Daddy) to help. And, in the past, winter is setting in, making searching for food and staying warm an immense feat. Yellowjackets streams via Neon. Read our full review. I THINK YOU SHOULD LEAVE WITH TIM ROBINSON Eat-the-rich stories are delicious, and also everywhere; however, Succession, Triangle of Sadness and the like aren't the only on-screen sources of terrible but terribly entertaining people. I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson has been filling streaming queues with assholes since 2019, as usually played by the eponymous Detroiters star, and long may it continue. In season three, the show takes its premise literally in the most ridiculous and unexpected way, so much so that no one could ever dream of predicting what happens. That's still the sketch comedy's not-so-secret power. Each of its skits is about someone being the worst in some way, doubling down on being the worst and refusing to admit that they're the worst (or that they're wrong) — and while everyone around them might wish they'd leave, they're never going to, and nothing ever ends smoothly. In a show that's previously worked in hot dog costumes and reality TV series about bodies dropping out of coffins to hilarious effect, anything can genuinely happen to its gallery of the insufferable. In fact, the more absurd and chaotic I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson gets, the better. No description can do I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson's sketches justice, and almost every one is a comedic marvel, as again delivered in six 15-minute episodes in the series' third run. The usual complaint applies: for a show about people overstaying their welcome, the program itself flies by too quickly, always leaving viewers wanting more. Everything from dog doors and designated drivers to HR training and street parking is in Robinson's sights this time, and people who won't stop talking about their kids, wedding photos and group-think party behaviour as well. Game shows get parodied again and again, an I Think You Should Leave staple, and gloriously. More often than in past seasons, Robinson lets his guest stars play the asshole, too, including the returning Will Forte (Weird: The Al Yankovic Story), regular Sam Richardson (The Afterparty), and perennial pop-ups Fred Armisen (Barry) and Tim Meadows (Poker Face). And when Jason Schwartzman (I Love That for You) and Ayo Edebiri (The Bear) drop in, they're also on the pitch-perfect wavelength. I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson streams via Netflix. Read our full review. I HATE SUZIE TOO Watching I Hate Suzie Too isn't easy. Watching I Hate Suzie, the show's first season, wasn't either back in 2020. A warts-and-all dance through the chaotic life, emotions and mind of a celebrity, both instalments of this compelling British series have spun as far away from the glitz and glamour of being famous as possible. Capturing carefully constructed social-media content to sell the fiction of stardom's perfection is part of the story, as it has to be three decades into the 21st century; however, consider this show from Succession writer Lucy Prebble and actor/singer/co-creator Billie Piper, and its blood pressure-raising tension and stress, the anti-Instagram. The unfiltered focus: teen pop sensation-turned-actor Suzie Pickles, as played with a canny sense of knowing by Piper given that the 'Honey to the Bee' and Penny Dreadful talent has charted the same course. That said, the show's IRL star hasn't been the subject of a traumatic phone hack that exposed sensitive photos from an extramarital affair to the public, turning her existence and career upside down, as Suzie was in season one. Forget The Idol — this is the best show about being a famous singer that you can watch right now. In I Hate Suzie Too, plenty has changed for the series' namesake over a six-month period. She's no longer with her professor husband Cob (Daniel Ings, Sex Education), and is battling for custody of their young son Frank (debutant Matthew Jordan-Caws), who is deaf — and her manager and lifelong friend Naomi (Leila Farzad, Avenue 5) is off the books, replaced by the no-nonsense Sian (Anastasia Hille, A Spy Among Friends). Also, in a new chance to win back fans, Suzie has returned to reality TV after it helped thrust her into the spotlight as a child star to begin with. Dance Crazee Xmas is exactly what it sounds like, and sees her compete against soccer heroes (Blake Harrison, The Inbetweeners), musicians (Douglas Hodge, The Great) and more. But when I Hate Suzie Too kicks off with a ferocious, clearly cathartic solo dance in sad-clown getup, the viewers aren't charmed. Well, Dance Crazee Xmas' audience, that is — because anyone watching I Hate Suzie Too is in for another stunner that's fearless, audacious, honest, dripping with anxiety, staggering in its intensity, absolutely heart-wrenching and always unflinching. I Hate Suzie Too streams via Neon. Read our full review. THE GREAT Television perfection is watching Elle Fanning (The Girl From Plainville) and Nicholas Hoult (Renfield) trying to run 18th-century Russia while scheming, fighting and heatedly reuniting in a historical period comedy The Great. Since 2020, they've each been in career-best form — her as the series' ambitious namesake, him as the emperor who loses his throne to his wife — while turning in two of the best performances on streaming in one of the medium's most hilarious shows. Both former child actors now enjoying excellent careers as adults, they make such a marvellous pair that it's easy to imagine this series being built around them. It wasn't and, now three seasons, The Great has never thrived on their casting alone. Still, shouting "huzzah!" at the duo's bickering, burning passion and bloodshed-sparking feuding flows as freely as all the vodka downed in the Emmy-winner's frames under Australian creator Tony McNamara's watch (and after he initially unleashed its winning havoc upon Sydney Theatre Company in 2008, then adapted it for television following a BAFTA and an Oscar nomination for co-penning The Favourite). In this latest batch of instalments, all either written or co-written by McNamara, Catherine (Fanning) and Peter (Hoult) begin the third season sure about their love for each other, but just as flummoxed as ever about making their nuptials work. She's attempting to reform the nation, he's the primary caregiver to their infant son Paul, her efforts are meeting resistance, he's doting but also bored playing stay-out-of-politics dad, and couples counselling is called for. There's also the matter of the royal court's most prominent members, many of whom were rounded up and arrested under Catherine's orders at the end of season two. From Sweden, exiled King Hugo (Freddie Fox, House of the Dragon) and Queen Agnes (Grace Molony, Mary, Queen of Scots) are hanging around after being run out of their own country due to democracy's arrival. And, Peter's lookalike Pugachev (also Hoult) is agitating for a serf-powered revolution. The Great streams via Neon. Read our full review. PREHISTORIC PLANET When it initially arrived in 2022, becoming one of the year's best new shows and giving nature doco fans the five-episode series they didn't know they'd always wanted — and simultaneously couldn't believe hadn't been made until now — Prehistoric Planet followed the David Attenborough nature documentary formula perfectly. And it is a formula. In a genre that's frequently spying the wealth of patterns at the heart of the animal realm, docos such as The Living Planet, State of the Planet, Frozen Planet, Our Planet, Seven Worlds, One Planet, A Perfect Planet, Green Planet and the like all build from the same basic elements. Jumping back 66 million years, capitalising upon advancements in special effects but committing to making a program just like anything that peers at the earth today was never going to feel like the easy product of a template, though. Indeed, Prehistoric Planet's first season was stunning, and its second is just as staggering. The catch, in both season one and this return trip backwards: while breathtaking landscape footage brings the planet's terrain to the Prehistoric Planet series, the critters stalking, swimming, flying and tumbling across it are purely pixels. Filmmaker Jon Favreau remains among the show's executive producers, and the technology that brought his photorealistic versions of The Jungle Book and The Lion King to cinemas couldn't be more pivotal. Seeing needs to be believing while watching, because the big-screen gloss of the Jurassic Park and Jurassic World sagas, the puppets of 90s sitcom Dinosaurs, and the animatronics of Walking with Dinosaurs — or anything in-between — were never going to suit a program with Attenborough as a guide. Accordingly, to sit down to Prehistoric Planet is to experience cognitive dissonance: viewers are well-aware that what they're spying isn't real because the animals seen no longer exist, but it truly looks that authentic. Prehistoric Planet season streams via Apple TV+. Read our full review. SERVANT When M Night Shyamalan (Knock at the Cabin) earned global attention and two Oscar nominations back in 1999 for The Sixth Sense, it was with a film about a boy who sees dead people. After ten more features that include highs (the trilogy that is Unbreakable, Split and Glass) and lows (Lady in the Water and The Happening), in 2019 he turned his attention to a TV tale of a nanny who revives a dead baby. Or did he? That's how Servant commenced its first instantly eerie, anxious and dread-filled season, a storyline it has followed in its second season in 2021, third in 2022, and then fourth and final batch of episodes in 2023. But as with all Shyamalan works, this meticulously made series bubbles with the clear feeling that all isn't as it seems. What happens if a caregiver sweeps in exactly when needed and changes a family's life, Mary Poppins-style, but she's a teenager rather than a woman, disquieting instead of comforting, and accompanied by strange events, forceful cults and unsettlingly conspiracies rather than sweet songs, breezy winds and spoonfuls of sugar? That's Servant's basic premise. Set in Shyamalan's beloved Philadelphia, and created by Tony Basgallop (The Consultant), the puzzle-box series spends most of its time in a lavish brownstone inhabited by TV news reporter Dorothy Turner (Lauren Ambrose, Yellowjackets), her celebrity-chef husband Sean (Toby Kebbell, Bloodshot), their baby Jericho and 18-year-old nanny Leanne Grayson (Nell Tiger Free, Too Old to Die Young) — and where Dorothy's recovering-alcoholic brother Julian (Grint, Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities) is a frequent visitor. That's still the dynamic in season four, which slowly and powerfully moves towards its big farewell. Dorothy is more determined than ever to be rid of Leanne, Leanne is more sure of herself and her abilities than she's ever been — in childminding, and all the other spooky occurrences that've been haunting the family — and Sean and Julian are again caught in the middle. Wrapping up with one helluva ending, Servant has gifted viewers four seasons of spectacular duelling caregivers and gripping domestic tension, and one of streaming's horror greats. Servant streams via Apple TV+. Read our full review of season four. THE MARVELOUS MRS MAISEL Here's how The Marvelous Mrs Maisel started: in New York City in 1958, Miriam 'Midge' Maisel (Rachel Brosnahan, I'm Your Woman) had become accustomed to waiting in the wings while her husband Joel (Michael Zegen, The Stand In) tried his hand at stand-up comedy. Then she took to the stage herself, and this blend of comedy and drama followed the revolutionary aftermath. Sometimes, that's brought highlights, including having her talent recognised by Gaslight Cafe manager Susie Myerson (Alex Borstein, Family Guy), taking her sets on the road and working her way up the comedy ladder. Sometimes, there have been costs, especially in her relationships. And always, right up to the show's fifth and final season that featured jumps forward to the 21st century, there was a battle that still sadly remains oh-so-relevant IRL: for women in comedy to be treated and seen equally. Hailing from Gilmore Girls and Bunheads mastermind Amy Sherman-Palladino, The Marvelous Mrs Maisel's cast has always proven a dream — Tony Shalhoub (Flamin' Hot), Marin Hinkle (Jumanji: The Next Level), Kevin Pollak (Willow) and Caroline Aaron (Ghosts) also feature, and Jane Lynch (Party Down), Luke Kirby (Boston Strangler) and Stephanie Hsu (Joy Ride) as well — and, unsurprisingly, its writing, too. Indeed, there's nothing quite like Sherman-Palladino-penned dialogue, which Brosnahan especially is a natural at nailing its rhythms. The period detail has consistently been impeccable, but this wouldn't be the hit it is (or have Golden Globes and Emmys to its name) if it didn't also mean something. It should come as no astonishment that Joan Rivers was one of the inspirations for the series, and that it is equally hilarious, heartfelt and finely observed, with its guiding writer, director and producer's charms in abundance. The Marvelous Mrs Maisel streams via Prime Video. TED LASSO It wasn't simply debuting during the pandemic's first year, in a life-changing period when everyone was doing it tough, that made Ted Lasso's first season a hit in 2020. It wasn't just the Apple TV+ sitcom's unshakeable warmth, giving its characters and viewers alike a big warm hug episode after episode, either. Both play a key part, however, because this Jason Sudeikis (Saturday Night Live)-starring soccer series is about everyone pitching in and playing a part. It's a team endeavour that champions team endeavours — hailing from a quartet of creators (Sudeikis, co-star Brendan Hunt, Detroiters' Joe Kelly and Scrubs' Bill Lawrence), boasting a killer cast in both major and supporting roles, and understanding how important it is to support one another on- and off-screen (plus in the fictional world that the show has created, and while making that realm so beloved with audiences). Ted Lasso has always believed in the individual players as well as the team they're in, though. It is named after its eponymous American football coach-turned-inexperienced soccer manager, after all. But in building an entire sitcom around a character that started as a sketch in two popular US television ads for NBC's Premier League coverage — around two characters, because Hunt's (Bless This Mess) laconic Coach Beard began in those commercials as well — Ted Lasso has always understood that everyone is only a fraction of who they can be when they're alone. That's an idea that kept gathering momentum in the show's long-awaited third season, which gave much to engagingly dive into. It starts with Ted left solo when he desperately doesn't want to be, with AFC Richmond owner Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham, Hocus Pocus 2) desperate to beat her ex Rupert Mannion (Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Anthony Stewart Head) new team, and with the Greyhounds' former assistant Nathan 'Nate' Shelley (Nick Mohammed, Intelligence) now coaching said opposition — and with changes galore around the club. It ends with more big moves after another astute look at the game of life, whether or not it returns for season four. Ted Lasso streams via Apple TV+. Read our full review. SCHMIGADOON! For fans of Key & Peele, the fact that Keegan-Michael Key can do anything won't come as a surprise. In 2023, proving that statement true has seen the comedian and actor voice Toad in The Super Mario Bros Movie, and also return to the realm of singing and dancing in Schmigadoon!. What would it be like to live in a musical? That's been this Apple TV+'s central question since it first premiered in 2021. Key stars opposite the also ever-versatile Cecily Strong (Saturday Night Live) as a couple, Josh Skinner and Melissa Gimble, who are simply backpacking when they suddenly find themselves in the wondrous titular town. The duo were hoping to fix their struggling relationship with a stint in nature, but instead step into a 24/7 Golden Age-style show — a parody of Brigadoon, clearly — that helps them work through their feelings, discover what they truly want and see a different side of life. That was season one. In season two, Josh and Melissa start back in the real world, married, in their medical jobs and going through the motions. In their malaise, a return trip to Schmigadoon! beckons; however, when they stumble upon it again, the place isn't quite the same. Instead, they're now in Schmicago. And, instead of 40s and 50s musicals, 60s and 70s shows are in the spotlight — including the razzle dazzle of Chicago, obviously. What a ball this series has, including with a jam-packed cast that includes Dove Cameron (Vengeance), Kristin Chenoweth (Bros), Alan Cumming (The Good Fight), Ariana DeBose (West Side Story), Jane Krakowski (Dickinson), Martin Short (Only Murders in the Building) and Tituss Burgess (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) — and with ample thanks to creators Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio (the Despicable Me films). Schmigadoon! streams via Apple TV+. BLACK MIRROR When Ron Swanson discovered digital music, the tech-phobic Parks and Recreation favourite was uncharacteristically full of praise. Played by Nick Offerman (The Last of Us) at his most giddily exuberant, he badged the iPod filled with his favourite records an "excellent rectangle". In Black Mirror, the same shape is everywhere. The Netflix series' moniker even stems from the screens and gadgets that we all now filter life through daily and unthinkingly. In Charlie Brooker's (Cunk on Earth) eyes since 2011, however, those ever-present boxes and the technology behind them are far from ace. Instead, befitting a dystopian anthology show that has dripped with existential dread from episode one, and continues to do so in its long-awaited sixth season, those rectangles keep reflecting humanity at its bleakest. Black Mirror as a title has always been devastatingly astute: when we stare at a TV, smartphone, computer or tablet, we access the world yet also reveal ourselves. It might've taken four years to return after 2019's season five, but Brooker's hit still smartly and sharply focuses on the same concern. Indeed, this new must-binge batch of nightmares begins with exactly the satirical hellscape that today's times were bound to inspire. Opening chapter Joan Is Awful, with its AI- and deepfake-fuelled mining of everyday existence for content, almost feels too prescient — a charge a show that's dived into digital resurrections, social scoring systems, killer VR and constant surveillance knows well. Brooker isn't afraid to think bigger and probe deeper in season six, though; to eschew obvious targets like ChatGPT and the pandemic; and to see clearly and unflinchingly that our worst impulses aren't tied to the latest widgets. Black Mirror streams via Netflix. Read our full review. HUNTERS Call it a conspiracy thriller. Call it an alternative history. Call it a revenge fantasy. Call it another savage exploration of race relations with Jordan Peele's fingerprints all over it. When it comes to Hunters, they all fit. This 70s-set Nazi-slaying series first arrived in 2020, following a ragtag group determined to do two things: avenge the Holocaust, with many among their number Jewish survivors or relatives of survivors; and stop escaped Third Reich figures who've secretly slipped into the US from their plan of starting a Fourth Reich. The cast was stellar — Al Pacino (House of Gucci), Logan Lerman (Bullet Train), Tiffany Boone (Nine Perfect Strangers), Jeannie Berlin (Succession), Carol Kane (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), Lena Olin (Mindhunter) and Australia's Kate Mulvany (The Clearing) among them — and Get Out and Us filmmaker Peele executive produced a gem as he also did that same year with Lovecraft Country. And, when it wrapped up its first season, it did so with one mighty massive cliffhanger: the fact that Adolf Hitler (Udo Kier, Swan Song) was still alive in 1977. Returning for its second and final batch of episodes three years later, but largely moving its action to 1979, season two of Hunters sees its central gang initially doing their own things — but unsurprisingly reteaming to go after the obvious target. Jonah Heidelbaum (Lerman) is living a double life, with his new fiancee Clara (Emily Rudd, Fear Street) in the dark about his Nazi-hunting ways, but crossing paths with the ruthless and determined Chava Apfelbaum (Jennifer Jason Leigh, Possessor) ramps up his and the crew's efforts. Knowing this is the final go-around, the stylishly shot series wasn't afraid of embracing its OTT leanings, tonal jumps and frenetic camerawork, and always proved entertaining as it hurtles towards its last hurrah. The best episode of the season, however, is one that jumps back to World War II, doesn't focus on any of its main stars and is as clever, moving and well-executed as Hunters has ever been. If the show ever gets revived in the future, which it easily could, more of that would make a great series even better. Hunters streams via Prime Video. BUMP Time-jump alert: in Bump's third season, four years have passed in this supremely bingeable Australian dramedy's on-screen world. Oly (Nathalie Morris, Petrol) and Santi (Carlos Sanson, Sweet As) are no longer high schoolers, or even teenagers. They're also no longer the couple that took a big leap at the end of season two by moving into their own apartment, away from both of their chaotic families, while Oly finished her HSC, Santi started working full-time and both juggled all of the above with caring for baby J. Indeed, this new batch of Bump episodes begins with its central pairing taking the now almost five-year-old Jacinda (Ava Cannon) to her first day of kindergarten. All three are both excited and nervous amid the awkward co-parenting energy between the now-split Oly and Santi — and as Oly's mother Angie (Claudia Karvan, Moja Vesna) surprises them en route. Times and ages may have changed, and situations and appearances as well, but the warmth this series feels for its characters — and the complexity it works through in well-worn scenarios — steadfastly remains. We said it when the first ten-episode season dropped at the end of 2020, and we still stand by it today: Heartbreak High fans, Bump is for you, too. That isn't just because Karvan starred in The Heartbreak Kid, the movie that the OG Heartbreak High spun off from, but due to its dedication to chronicling the ins and outs of growing up and parenting in Sydney — yes, with school a focus as well. Bump has matured as Oly and Santi also have, however, even if the same can't always be said about Angie, Oly's dad Dom (Angus Sampson, The Lincoln Lawyer) and her older brother Bowie (Christian Byers, Between Two Worlds). A key theme in season three: what it means when life already hasn't turned out as planned when you still have so much of it left ahead of you. The show is called Bump, after all, and finds plenty of them paving everyone's paths. With the series also devoting its time to Santi's stepmother Rosa (Paula Garcia, Thirteen Lives) and best friend Vince (Ioane Saula, Preppers) among its broader look at Oly and Santi's support network, it also finds an array of ways to contemplate hopes, dreams, loves, losses, joys and disappointments. Bump streams via Neon. Looking for more viewing highlights? We picked the 15 best new TV shows of 2023, too. And, you can check out our list of film and TV streaming recommendations, which is updated monthly.
In Stay of the Week, we explore some of the world's best and most unique accommodations, giving you inspiration for your next trip. In this instalment, we set the compass to regional Victoria and take a trip to Sorrento for a special stay at the newly renovated Hotel Sorrento. [caption id="attachment_899023" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image: Rising High Media[/caption] WHAT'S SO SPECIAL? Here, in a buzzy pocket of the Mornington Peninsula, Hotel Sorrento has sat for nearly 150 years boasting enviable bay vistas. Now, the historic sandstone building is welcoming a massive expansion including a soon-to-come 30-metre pool and rooftop yoga studio. At the moment, Hotel Sorrento boasts five separate bars, two restaurants, newly refurbished accommodation rooms as well as private dining areas. It's an all-in-one destination escape just over an hour from Melbourne's CBD. THE ROOMS There are plenty of rooms to choose from at Hotel Sorrento, starting from $325 a night. Contemporary and light-filled, rooms are accented with a variety of deep European oak, natural limestone and marble. Heritage Balcony Rooms are the crowning jewel of this hotel, boasting private balconies with exclusive vistas overlooking the bay. [caption id="attachment_899027" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Image: Threefold Social[/caption] FOOD AND DRINK Hotel Sorrento has recently overhauled its food and drink offering, helmed by George Calombaris. "The goal is to create dishes that not only satisfy the palate but tell a story of the region and the community's rich history," George Calombaris says. Shihuishi is the newest addition to the Hotel Sorrento family, nestled in the original, grand Hotel Sorrento ballroom. Head chef Junlin (Jerry) Yi (ex-Red Spice Road) is unafraid to stray from tradition, from prawn crackers paired with crème fraîche; to spanakopita dumplings that marry whipped feta and dill. Deeper into the menu, patrons will discover Australian-Canto cuisine that nods to the Chinese restaurant that stood onsite back in the 1980s. A prawn, lap cheong and onion stir-fry is a crowd-pleaser, along with duck pancakes and black pepper beef, served on a sizzling plate. Other classics run to the likes of steamed barra with soy, ginger and spring onion, or the ever-popular pork and prawn shumai. Otherwise, if you fancy a short but sweet wander, head across the road to the Conti for a slew of venues including a public bar, beer garden, speakeasy and fine diner. Luxe speakeasy Barlow is our pick for a pre-evening tipple. Sorrento institution Stringers has also recently been revamped by The Darling Group (Higher Ground, Kettle Black, Top Paddock), turning the corner store and cafe into an all-day restaurant, pizzeria, bar and providore. THE LOCAL AREA Sorrento is a much-loved spot for both Mornington Peninsula locals and regular holiday blow-ins, due to its accessibility from Melbourne. In warmer months, swimming, snorkeling and water activities at Sorrento Beach is a must-do. If you're looking to sidestep the crowds, Diamond Bay is a popular spot for both families and couples. A range of short, all-weather walking tracks are stunning year-around, including Coppins Track which finishes at the clifftop of Diamond Bay. The cliffside Millionaires Walk is named as a nod to the lavish private residences that line this path, or try the 7km Sorrento Circuit Walk, which hits all of this town's main attractions. THE EXTRAS Hotel Sorrento is looking to install a new 30-metre pool alongside a pool-friendly bar, rooftop yoga studio and gym by the end of 2023. If you're looking for a staycation special, Hotel Sorrento's winter escape package includes overnight accommodation for two, dinner for two at Shuihuishi and a bottle of local Pinot Noir for your room. Feeling inspired to book a truly unique getaway? Head to Concrete Playground Trips to explore a range of holidays curated by our editorial team. We've teamed up with all the best providers of flights, stays and experiences to bring you a series of unforgettable trips in destinations all over the world. Images: supplied.
Already in 2023, New Zealand's wine scene scored some international love when Hawke's Bay became the 12th Great Wine Capital of the world. Now, Aotearoa's vino has been poured some affection by the World's Best Vineyards list, which ranks the planet's top wine destinations. Earning the highest spot in Australasia: Rippon in Central Otago. The NZ winery came in at 11th place, with the awards heaping praise onto the Southern Alps favourite for producing "a highly lauded range of pinot noir from this magnificent landscape and its biodynamically farmed vineyards". Rippon was also named the best vineyard in Australasia, beating out winemakers from across the ditch. Australia was still represented in the top 50, thanks to three South Australian winemakers. McLaren Vale's d'Arenberg nabbed the highest Aussie placing, coming in at 17th. Sprawling around a giant cube might've helped. That five-storey square is quite the centrepiece, but the Osborn family's organic and biodynamic tipples score plenty of attention on their own. The awards also praised the vineyard for living "up to its billing as 'more than just a cellar door'". Next on the list: Henschke in Eden Valley, which boasts a vineyard that was planted more than 150 years ago, and nabbed 26th spot. Then comes Magill's Penfolds Magill Estate, which dates back to 1844 and is particularly known for its shiraz, in 44th place. While Down Under was well-represented among the Best 50 Vineyards, 23 vineyards in this year's list hailed from Europe. France alone scored nine spots, the highest number for any single country. That said, the top placing went to Argentina's Catena Zapata, which also won overall South American vineyard. Next came Europe's first listing, for Spain's Bodegas de los Herederos del Marqués de Riscal, followed by Chilean vineyard VIK in third, Creation in South Africa in fourth, and France's Château Smith Haut Lafitte in fifth. Completing the top ten: Bodega Garzón in Uruguay, Montes in Chile, Germany's Schloss Johannisberg, and both Bodegas Salentein and El Enemigo Wines in Argentina. If you plan your getaways around vino, consider this list a handy piece of travel inspiration. If you're just interested in the drops, consider it a guide for your next trip to the bottle shop. The World's Best Vineyards also names a 51–100 list, which saw New Zealand's Craggy Range come in at 58th, Man O' War at 77th and Kumeu River Wines at 81st, plus Australia's Seppeltsfield Barossa at 98th. To check out the full World's Best Vineyards Top 50 and 100 lists, head to the awards' website. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
Already in 2023, streaming viewers have watched Sam Richardson get spiteful in one of the most kindhearted sitcoms in recent years, and get nominated for his second Emmy for it. They've witnessed him host oh-so-silly game shows, too. It isn't just Ted Lasso and I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson that've been keeping him on-screen, but also rom-com Somebody I Used to Know and voicing Shaggy in new Scooby Doo take Velma. Only The Afterparty, which returned to Apple TV+ for season two on Wednesday, July 12, has him playing buddy cop with Tiffany Haddish, however. Actually, The Afterparty has the ever-busy Richardson playing a wealth of roles, but only stepping into one character's shoes. Aniq Adjaye is a wedding guest, doting boyfriend and eager-to-please potential future son-in-law. He's the guy who finally made good on his high-school crush at his reunion in season one, after getting accused of murder when a classmate would up dead at, yes, the afterparty. And, he's whatever his fellow revellers see — because this murder-mystery comedy from Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, 21 Jump Street and 22 Jump Street, and The Lego Movie's Christopher Miller is a whodunnit about perspective. The clever, inventive and entertaining twist? Every episode not only takes a different character's viewpoint, but filters their recollections through a parody of a different genre. Sometimes, then, Richardson dives into a romantic comedy within the ensemble murder-mystery comedy. That's what the show's two Aniq-centric episodes — the opening chapters of both 2022's season one and now 2023's season two — have delivered, and delightfully. Richardson is the series' lead no matter which on-screen figure's memories guide each instalment, though, teaming up with Haddish's (The Card Counter) Danner to interrogate his fellow partygoers. So, sometimes Richardson is also plunged into the world of action. Or, he's whisked into a musical, a teen drama or police procedural. In season two, the list includes a Jane Austen-style period romance, both Hitchcockian and erotic thrillers, Wes Anderson's aesthetic and film noir. The Afterparty's second go-around takes Aniq and his other half Zoe (Zoe Chao, Party Down) to her younger sister Grace's (Poppy Liu, Dead Ringers) nuptials to the wealthy-but-awkward Edgar (Zach Woods, Avenue 5). After the ceremony, then the reception, then the post-proceedings, there's a body, a winery full of suspects and questions to ask. There's also Richardson proving as versatile as ever, a skill that's served him exceptionally on everything from underseen Tim Robinson-costarring comedy Detroiters to stealing scenes upon scenes as Veep's Richard Splett — plus a six-episode run on The Office, cinema stints as varied as Spy and Promising Young Woman; and Werewolves Within and Hocus Pocus 2 as well. With The Afterparty season two now streaming, Richardson chatted us through the joy of the show's comedic layers, his odd-couple dynamic with Haddish, living the murder-mystery dream as a big fan of the genre, how he'd respond if one of the series' situations crossed over to his real life, I Think You Should Leave's unhinged reactions and more. ON MAKING A MURDER-MYSTERY COMEDY THAT'S ALSO A ROM-COM, AN ENSEMBLE COMEDY AND A SPOOF OF EVERY GENRE IT CAN FIT IN "There's so much that I love about all these things. I'm a big fan of a murder-mystery — Sam Richardson is. I'm a big fan of a rom-com. And I'm a big fan of an ensemble comedy. So the show is all three of those things. So I got to do that the first season, and then the second season we get to heighten all of that. Now Aniq is investigating not just to protect himself, but to try to figure out actually who the murderer is with him outside the gaze of suspicion. He's now trying to solve this mystery, and also his retelling of the story is a rom-com sequel. So now everything's all heightened when he's telling the story — big setpieces and big physical-comedy bits. That's a really fun thing for me to do, and to get to work with the new cast — everybody's so funny —and all these new genres." ON MAKING A BUDDY-COP COMEDY WITH TIFFANY HADDISH, TOO "They're an unlikely pair [Aniq and Danner], but it turns out they're good partners. One balances the other. And getting to perform with Tiffany — she's so funny. So it's good to play off of that dynamic and that energy. It was such a great thing to do and to get to play with. The two of them — her methods are unorthodox at first, and then his methods are maybe a little sloppy. So together they're able to get through this thing, but [make] an unlikely pair." ON TICKING MURDER-MYSTERY OFF THE ACTING BUCKET LIST "There's nothing more fun than being the one to get to put the pieces together at the end of the mystery — that sort of monologue that Sherlock Holmes has where he explains all the pieces that he's seen, that you've seen as the audience, but now I'm giving you the grand thing, the Colombo sort of speech, the "one more thing, you thought I didn't know this, but ha!". Getting to be in that role is a dream come true for me." ON THE CHALLENGES AND FUN OF JUMPING BETWEEN GENRES FROM EPISODE TO EPISODE "It's definitely both, because you are getting pulled in a bunch of different ways. But that is the fun of it, because you get to explore your character and these genres from all these different perspectives. As an acting exercise, and as a challenge to an actor, you get to say not only 'what is the perspective of this character whose story I'm in, the person who's telling the story, what's their perspective on me?' but also 'what is the trope of this genre?'. 'What is this character in a film noir? And who who is the person within that trope? Who is this person in this Jane Austen story? What is that person in this trope?' But then also at the same time, 'what does the character telling the story think of me? Does this person think I'm untrustworthy? Do they think that I'm a weak person? Do they think that I'm more maybe more bold than I am? Do they think that I'm behaving surreptitiously?'. So that's a fun thing to explore in a show like this." ON THE BEST GENRE TO DIVE INTO SO FAR — AND A DREAM PICK FOR THE FUTURE "I really do love the the big rom-com sequel that I got to do this season — big set pieces and physical comedy. I also really enjoyed the Wes Anderson-style episode, the costumes of the Jane Austen [episode]. Each one has it's [merits] — it's so hard to pick one. But if there was another genre that I would want to do, it'd would be a kung-fu movie. That would be so much fun." ON PLAYING OLD HIGH-SCHOOL BUDDIES WITH SEASON ONE'S CAST — THEN STRANGERS AT A WEDDING WITH SEASON TWO'S "The first season, the cast, and getting to play with that cast, was terrific. And then also the idea that you have this shared history and so you're looking back on these relationships that you've had — but what's the dynamic now? — was such a great thing to get to do. So in this season, there are some dynamics that have existed before. But for Aniq especially, he's meeting so many people for the first time. And so getting to be introduced to these characters, and then to get to work with some of these actors for the first time as well, it was such a great fertile playground for reactions. You're absorbing these people for the first time — whereas on the other side of the coin, you get to fall back on 'oh, this guy behaves like this and I know they do'; this time, you get to be like 'this guy behaves like this, what are they doing?'. So it's two sides of the coin, but the coin is still 25 cents." ON HOW RICHARDSON WOULD REACT IF HE WAS LIVING A MURDER-MYSTERY IRL "I fear that day happening greatly. But I do wonder how I would react, because you want to hope that you'd be bold and be like 'no, it has to have been this'. And you'd answer all the things. I myself, I do like to solve things. So I really would be trying to look at things objectively and be like 'well, no it couldn't have been this because these three people were here at this time, that person was there, and I know they were, and they said that before'. That's kind of how I approach things anyway, so I think if somebody got murdered in my high school, I'd figure out who it was." [caption id="attachment_903580" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Netflix © 2023[/caption] ON WHAT RICHARDSON LOOKS FOR IN A ROLE "Good money. I look for, you know, does it pay my insurance? I am entirely joking — but also not. I really just like characters who have very fun wants, and characters who are able to react to things. So for I Think You Should Leave — I Think You Should Leave is its own sort of thing. That's my best friend's show, and it's sketch, and I very much love sketch and I love playing these characters who have wants that are a little bit unrealistic, and then the reaction to not getting those wants is also unhinged. That's a fun thing to get to do. But then with with shows like Detroiters, the wants there are to spend time with your best friend and represent your city in the best way. I think it ultimately comes down to wants — the interestingness of what characters want, and getting to see how these characters go about trying to achieve them, is what I look for most." Season two of The Afterparty streams via Apple TV+ from Wednesday, July 12. Read our full review of season two.