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Transcription

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Armchair verdict for
Stringfellow
Fake Sheikh
splattered
Sydney’s most
comprehensive weekly
What’s On guide
Page 3
Page 4
Page 17
SYDNEY’S FREE WEEKLY INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER
www.citynews.net.au
DECEMBER 3, 2009
Concern over future of
heritage railway machinery
SANTA’S
LITTLE HELPER
Sydney lights up for Christmas
page 8
BY GARETH NARUNSKY
Heritage-listed Victorian-era railway equipment is to be disposed of prior
to the State Government’s sale of Australian Technology Park, according
to a community group.
Redfern-Waterloo group REDWatch has obtained photographs of parts
of a pivot crane spray painted with pink crosses and tagged “Australian
Technology Park Surplus Heritage Item … Identified for Disposal”.
REDWatch spokesperson Geoff Turnbull said the markings and tags
had appeared prior to a consultation session, scheduled for next Monday,
to discuss the Park’s new conservation management plan.
“This totally pre-empted any discussion about what they were planning
to do and what should happen … as a result a whole pile of heritage
people have got very upset,” he said.
The Australian Technology Park occupies the site of the old Eveleigh
Railway Workshops, built in 1887, and many examples of late 19thcentury machinery remain.
Mr Turnbull said the 2008 NSW mini-budget announcement, detailing
the proposed sale of a 99-year lease over the Australian Technology Park,
had necessitated due diligence preparations, including the reviewing of
heritage instruments.
Wendie McCaffley, director of Wrought Artworks, who operates the
heritage blacksmithing workshop at the Technology Park, said the tagged
equipment was looking the worse for wear but remained an important
part of the collection.
“They’re very significant pieces of equipment which were listed in the
conservation management plan for movable items,” she said.
“They’re not supposed to be disposed of, this isn’t what was supposed
to happen.”
Ms McCaffley said the equipment could be restored.
“It’s the largest, most integral collection of Victorian railway equipment
remaining in the world [according to the] Smithsonian Institute [in]
Washington DC,” she said.
“With a bit of engineering knowledge and a team of people, it could be
restored to its former glory … you’ve got to be able to see and feel, to
have that connection to what has happened here in the past.”
But the Australian Technology Park said the whole issue had been a
misunderstanding.
“Nothing is being thrown out,” said Managing Director Roy WakelinKing. We are investing money to preserve these valuable heritage items …
The pink crosses actually identify items that are going to be refurbished
and placed back in the ATP as a heritage-significant item,” he said.
“The tags displaying disposal refer to a term used by our heritage
consultant MacLaren North to indicate those items that are being
refurbished or relocated for preservation purposes.”
The ATP also indicated that once refurbished, the pivot crane would be
displayed in the Park’s upgraded Innovation Plaza, along with a steam
crane and a 3801 train.
Refurbishment is expected to be completed by June 2010.
The Trial of Susan Stringfellow
BY MICHAEL GORMLY
It sounds like a wild-west epic,
but The Trial of Susan Stringfellow
or The Orphan School Creek Rebellion
is a tale from inner Sydney.
The charges arose when police
arrested Glebe resident Ms
Stringfellow, 59, on March 30 for
blocking the gates to a worksite
in Forest Lodge, preventing a
large semi-trailer from entering
the site.
In a two-day trial at The
Downing Centre last week, Ms
Stringfellow was found to have
obstructed traffic in a public
place but no conviction was
recorded under a Section 10
provision.
She and 11 others had been
part of a larger protest
attempting to block Council’s
plans to redevelop the Orphan
School Creek gully off Wood
Street, formerly forested
bushland, into a more manicured
reserve featuring a long, wide zigzag path flanked by low-profile
vegetation.
Residents say such a path had
never been approved by residents
during a ten-year consultation
saga dating back to the area’s
days under Leichhardt Council.
They say the path did not appear
on any plans they had been
shown. Labor Councillor
Meredith Burgmann said Council
had “made a terrible mistake –
they said the path would affect
two per cent of the reserve but it
now affects 30 per cent.”
Council says the larger path is
required under access rules for
wheelchairs and pushchairs.
At the trial, news video of the
arrest on 30 March was played.
It showed Police arriving at the
early-morning protest to find
group including Councillors
Chris Harris and Irene Doutney
(Greens) and Meredith
Burgmann inside the locked
gates of the worksite. When
police threatened to charge them
with Trespass they exited but
then lined up in front of the wire
mesh gates, at one stage linking
arms and singing We shall not be
moved, and chanting “Less path,
More trees”.
After further negotiation,
police directed them to move or
be charged with Obstructing
Traffic. The video showed Ms
Stringfellow climbing over the
gate and standing inside on its
crossbar. When police then
entered the site, she climbed
back outside where she and the
group took hold of the gate.
Police again told them to
move. They stood their ground
and two police grabbed Ms
Stringfellow’s hands and prised
them off the gate. In the ensuing
struggle Ms Stringfellow fell
heavily to the ground, badly
bruising her arm and suffering a
black eye where her sunglasses
hit the ground. Police then
dragged her to a police car, legs
Moore Erskineville trouble
BY EHSSAN VEISZADEH
With two new major
developments set to re-open in
the area, Lord Mayor Clover
Moore received an ear-bashing
from Erskineville locals worried
about traffic influx in the area
during Council’s Inner-West
Community Forum on
November 17.
The Imperial Hotel is set to
reopen in the coming weeks,
after it won a legal battle against
the City of Sydney in the Land
and Environment Court. The
court ruled that the hotel could
accommodate up to 788 patrons
on Friday and Saturday nights.
Attendees of the forum asked
Cr Moore to reveal how it
would deal with the high
number of people who would be
drawn to the area on those
nights.
Erskineville residents also
reminded Cr Moore of their
disappointment following
Council’s Development
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Application approval for a new
supermarket. Cr Moore
defended Council’s decision,
saying the DA was 60 per cent
smaller than the original twostorey proposal which was
rejected earlier in the year.
Paul Howard, a member of
the Friends of Erskineville
working group, led the chorus
of community complaints. He
said locals were concerned the
supermarket would attract a
high amount of traffic from
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Defence Counsel argued
against the charge on technical
grounds, finding discrepancies in
the times stated by different
witnesses and also arguing that if
trespass charges had been
threatened then the site,
surrounded by a fence, was not
“a public place” in the terms of
the Summary Offences Act. It
was argued that the truck had
been parked 150-200 metres
away at all times and had not
attempted to enter the site.
But after deliberating for an
Ms Stringfellow being
removed by police after an
hour, Magistrate Fleming rejected
earlier occupation of the site the arguments, saying the area
“satisfies the definition of a public
representative who testified at the place”. She cited evidence from
the truck driver that the protest
trial that there were problems
with the electrical service to some group including Ms Stringfellow
had obstructed his entry, and that
of the temporary buildings on
his truck later had to enter the
the site, and bracing on the
site in order to turn around and
temporary perimeter fence was
leave as it was too big to reverse
inadequate.
out of the narrow street.
Defending barrister Roger de
After the trial Ms Stringfellow
trailing limp along the ground.
Robillard asked police who had
said she “still can’t understand
A police witness said Ms
instigated the radio call
Stringfellow had thrown herself
summoning them to the site, but why Clover Moore is backing
her bureaucrats over the very
to the ground. Ms Stringfellow
the question was disallowed by
clear wishes of the vast majority
denies this and said she was
Magistrate Fleming.
of residents.”
“stunned” as she was being put
The protesters had accused
Ms Stringfellow may appeal
into the car.
Council of calling the police, but
the Court’s verdict. Work is
A few minutes after the arrest
Cr Harris said Council’s CEO
nearly finished on the reserve but
the site was effectively shut down Monica Barone had verbally
it is still fenced off.
by a CMFEU union
denied this.
outside the Erskineville area.
“I think what came out of
Tuesday night’s meeting
specifically is that the Lord
Mayor and council officers
finally recognised that the
Erskineville area’s traffic and
parking issues need to be
investigated in some detail,” Mr
Howard said.
“The Lord Mayor probably
got the message that the
community is still very unhappy
about the decision regarding the
supermarket.”
Mr Howard also criticised Cr
Moore for not meeting with his
group before Council took the
vote. “I guess as our elected
officials we would have expected
to have the courtesy of a meeting
with her as a resident delegation
and to explain our positions, but
she wasn’t available,” he said.
But Cr Moore scoffed at
suggestions that she refused to
meet with the group, saying
Council had thoroughly
consulted the Erskineville
community throughout the DA
process.
Mr Howard says community
DECEMBER 3, 2009
members were disappointed
with the Lord Mayor’s handling
of the questions put to her on
the night. “Some residents have
called me and commented on
how rude the Lord Mayor was
to some residents... I don’t
know, maybe she was a bit
stressed on the night,” Mr
Howard said.
Labor Councillor Meredith
Burgmann said she sympathised
with Erskineville residents who
felt they were left out of the
loop. “I agree that there has
been a breakdown of
communication between
Council and the residents of
Erskineville,” she said.
“I was one of the councillors
who voted against the
supermarket, because it seems to
me that what’s happening in
Erskineville is that the residents
are getting very anxious about
over-development and suddenly
having a concentration of traffic
in the area, and I understand
that. Council needs to consult
wisely about how they will go
about fixing the traffic issues
that arise.”
According to a City of Sydney
spokesperson, traffic concerns
were being addressed as part of
a council study. “The City has
held two community workshops
(March 31 and September 2) to
seek community feedback and
comment on the draft Pedestrian
Cycling and Traffic Calming
(PCTC) plan,” the spokesperson
said in a statement.
“The draft PCTC plan is due
to go to Sydney Traffic
Committee next month and to
the Planning, Development and
Transport Committee before
seeking final endorsement by
Council next year.
“Developments including the
Imperial and the Hive have
multiple conditions of consent
imposed on them to minimise
traffic impacts in the local area.”
A draft report published in
August said the PCTC Plant
would “assist in meeting the
2030 targets for the city of 10
per cent of trips made in the city
by cycling; 50 per cent of trips
made by walking; and 80 per
cent of work trips by city
residents in non-private vehicles.”
3
Fake Sheikh assaulted outside court
The Sheikh and his splattered sign, target of a coffeethrower who was wearing military style camouflage gear
BY MICHAEL GORMLY
One man emerged from the
crowd and punched him in the
head; another in a passing car
threw coffee all over him while
angry words flew from passers-by.
Yet the controversial Sheikh
4
Haron stood his ground for
three days outside the Downing
Centre Courts, his white turban,
tan robes and full beard shouting
‘Islam’ at the milling crowds.
Heavy chains with padlocks
draped over his body spoke of
oppression and imprisonment.
His coffee-stained sign read
“Australians don’t want war”, a
belief perhaps contradicted by
the naked aggression directed at
the lone protester.
This is the man, under the
name of Man Haron Monis,
now facing seven charges arising
from letters he allegedly sent to
the families of soldiers killed in
Afghanistan. Media reports claim
the letters blamed the soldiers for
the killing of innocent women
and children. The Jewish News
reported: “Felix Sher, the father
of a Jewish soldier who was
killed on duty in Afghanistan
earlier this year, has received a
hateful phone call and a number
of letters calling his son a “pig”
and a “murderer”.
Sheikh Haron denies this
interpretation: “The word ‘pig’
and other words that media have
claimed are from completely
different sentences, they have cut
them and the incomplete quotes
have been taken out of context.”
He says the letters were
intended as a condolence to the
families but also to raise
concerns about wars he
considers unjust. He had
published all the letters on his
website.
It’s now difficult to judge the
truth since the Australian Federal
Police, who brought the charges
against Sheikh Haron, had his
website taken down and the
letters are sub judice.
“I just believe in peace,” he
said. “I don’t want Australians to
be unsafe.”
He says both the Iraqi and
Afghani invasions were unjust
wars, and urges Australia to
withdraw from Afghanistan and
stop killing innocents in battles
with militants.
“First, this is against God,
spirituality and human rights,”
he said.
“Second, the government
does not understand the Afghan
pride – we don’t want them to
come and make revenge in
Australia. These wars put
Australians in danger.”
Asked if he thought the same
about terrorist attacks which also
killed innocent civilians, he said
there was no difference:
“Regarding killing the innocent
civilians with no justified reason I
am of course against that and it
does not make difference who
does it, such an act should be
condemned,” he said.
His lawyer, Chris Murphy,
reportedly said: “These letters
don’t contain threats; he is a
peace activist.”
But the Sheikh is also
unpopular with many Australian
Muslims and their chat sites have
little to say in his favour. A
typical comment on the muslim
village site read: “The author of
the Sheikh Haron site is
obviously not a religious scholar,
and has designed it to perpetrate
a fraud and cast a cloud over the
Muslim community.”
Sheikh Haron, from Campsie,
says he was a cleric in his native
Iran and the title “Sheikh’ is
widely used by scholars and
elders in the Muslim world. He
said he obtained police
permission
for his three-day vigil on
condition that he handed out no
leaflets and displayed only the
sign he held.
Opening for
local bank
Over 200 shareholders of
Pyrmont Community Bank
will join the local community
to celebrate the launch of the
local bank branch.
The Pyrmont branch will
be launched to the public at
5.30pm on Tuesday,
December 8, before opening
its doors to the public on
December 11.
Chairman Bruce Napthali
said it was a great day for
Pyrmont. “We are bringing
the Bendigo Bank’s industryleading customer service to
our community,” he said. “It
isn’t often that a community
such as ours has the chance
to become shareholders in a
public company that will
directly benefit Pyrmont
organisations and projects.”
Shareholders, residents and
traders are invited to take
part in the celebrations,
which will be followed by a
behind-the-scenes look at the
branch, established by the
community.
Hoaxsters strike
in Haymarket
BY AARON COOK
Criminal hoaxsters are targeting
members of Sydney’s Chinese
community in an attempt to
extort money with false
kidnapping claims.
Victims receive phone calls
demanding money to secure the
release of a family member,
who the callers claim to have
abducted.
A number of similar attempts
have occurred recently around
Haymarket and at least one was
successful, with a 57-year-old
man paying money through a
transfer service to secure the
release of his daughter.
The caller demanded he stay
on the phone, which police
said was a common attempt to
stop victims from trying to
contact their loved ones. The
man later discovered his
daughter was safe.
Police from City Central
Local Area Command are
investigating the incident and
are urging the Chinese
community to be vigilant.
6
Sydney Lord Mayor Clover
Moore and Independent
Councillor Robert Kok declined
to comment, saying it was a
matter for the police.
The Australian Chinese
Community Association also
chose not to provide comment.
Police have issued the
following recommendation:
If you receive a threatening
phone call demanding money,
where your child is supposedly
on the phone:
Do not disclose any personal
details to the caller and do not
stay on the phone unless you
have alternate phones to use in
contacting your children.
Take immediate steps to
contact your children by other
means.
Do not make any payments
to the caller, either via phone,
internet or cash.
Do not reveal any account
details, like PIN numbers, or
account names or numbers.
Contact police immediately
on ‘000’ to report the incident.
Flashback to ’50s Photo Revolution
BY EHSSAN VEISZADEH
In 1955 an unassuming
exhibition by six Australian
photographers managed to
capture an important turning
point in photography.
The photographers — David
Potts, Max Dupain, Kerry
Dundas, Hal Missingham,
Axel Poignant and Gordon
Andrews — presented an
exhibition in Sydney that
represented a shift from the
traditions of the past to the
recording of contemporary
life.
It was a key exhibition in
representing a shift away from
the traditions of pictorialism to
the documenting of life
experiences and events.
The Art Gallery of New
South Wales will again be
showcasing those photographs
to celebrate the historic change
that occurred.
“These particular
photographers presented a
new wave in Australian
photography that dealt with
documentary,” said exhibition
prospective buyers.
According to him,
none of the
photographs were sold
during the exhibition.
“The strange thing
was nobody was much
interested in
photography at the
time and they were
selling for 5 Guineas —
that’s $10.50 — and
nobody sold a print.
So I could’ve bought
the whole exhibition
really for about $400
or $500,” Mr Potts
Kerry Dundas is one of the six photographers whose work is on
said.
display in the new exhibition; this is a high octane tank at
“All the photographs
Caltex’s Kurnell Refinery in 1953
were 20 by 16 inches.
the time of the original
curator Elizabeth Maloney.
They were mounted on a card
exhibition. “I wish there was
“It was a progression that
and then we put corks on each
more of us around to enjoy it, corner and pushed those over
led to a great outpouring in
creative photography from the because Kerry [Dundas] and I nails driven to the walls. So
are the only icons, you might
1960’s and 1970’s that just
the photographs stood out
say, of that group.”
wasn’t there for a long time.
from the walls. I’ve never seen
Although Mr Potts said he
[So this exhibition] gives an
anything like it since then.”
was proud of the impact the
insight into how photography
The ‘6 Photographers’
original exhibition made, he
moved on from these early
exhibition will be on view
was disappointed at the lack of from December 5 to March 7
beginnings.”
interest shown from
David Potts was only 27 at
at the Art Gallery of NSW.
Colourful lead-up to Christmas for Sydney
BY GARETH NARUNSKY
Sydneysiders visiting the city at
night are being treated to
stunning light projections on
some of our most iconic
buildings.
Sydney Town Hall will display
the ‘12 Days of Christmas’
nightly until Christmas Eve,
while five historic buildings
along Macquarie Street – the
Hyde Park Barracks, St James
Church, The Mint, St Mary’s
Cathedral and The
Conservatorium of Music – will
also feature projections.
“Sydney Town Hall will be
transformed into a stunning
Christmas attraction for the
thousands of children and
families who come into the city
during the festive season,” Lord
Mayor Clover Moore said.
Among the images to feature
on Sydney Town Hall will be
uniquely Australian images such
as blue bottles, sailing yachts,
flying foxes, and a pink galah in
a gum tree, instead of the
traditional partridge.
Twelve projections will be
shown in rotation each night
from 8.30pm until 1.00am.
Taking the heat off climate talks
Utzon on the silver screen
The story of the Opera House’s construction is detailed in ‘Edge of the Possible’,
screening at Customs House on Tuesday
BY GARETH NARUNSKY
Sydneysiders will get a chance to relive the story of
our iconic Opera House at a special screening of the
film ‘Edge of the Possible’, at Customs House Library
next Tuesday, December 8.
The screening of the film, which documents the
planning and construction of Sydney’s most famous
building, will be attended by the film’s director, Daryl
Dellora, and producer Sue Maslin.
Mr Dellora said there was renewed interest in the
famous building following the death of architect Jørn
Utzon late last year.
“People ... really focused on the building again and
started to think about what could it have been if his
vision had been realised,” he said.
8
“That’s a part of our film – we discuss what he was
trying to do with the interiors that never got to fruition.”
A DVD of the film has just been released that
features never-before-seen material. including
interviews with Utzon that did not feature in the
original film.
“He was such a wonderful person to interview and
such a wonderful speaker, and he had such insights,”
Mr Dellora said.
“It is something which is unique because it
captures [Utzon] at a moment in his life and so few
other films have ever been able to get close to him.”
The screening begins at 6:00pm, although
attendees should arrive by 5:30pm. Bookings can be
made on 9242 8555.
BY SHANT FABRICATORIAN
As the Copenhagen Climate
Conference kicks off halfway
around the world, Martin Place
will play host to Earth Vigil – an
event which organisers describe
as, “a chance for people who
care about the environment to
come together in concern,
solidarity and hope.” Part of the
broader context of actions and
events being organised around
the globe during the talks, it is
open to all individuals and
groups from all walks of life.
The event is underpinned by
a belief that we are all closely
connected to the natural
environment, and that there are
important relationships between
our wellbeing and our broader
social, economic and
environmental systems.
“It’s different from a protest in
that the event is focused on deep
reflection, particularly our
interconnectedness to each other
and the planet,” said event coordinator Naomi Bower. “It’s
not only a faith event. I myself
am not affiliated with any
religion. I do feel there needs to
be an opportunity for people to
come together to reflect on the
environment and in support of
each other, particularly when it
can get so overwhelming to
think about the issues at hand.”
Earth Vigil will take place in
Martin Place (between
Castlereagh and Pitt Streets)
from 6pm to 7.30pm on
Monday, December 7. For
further details, visit
www.earthvigil.wordpress.com
City East Police Community meetings
Kings Cross
East Sydney
Woolloomooloo
3 December 2009 – Reg Murphy Activity Centre 6:30pm-8pm
7 December 2009 – SCEGGS 6:30pm-8pm
8 December 2009 – Mary MacDonald Centre 6:30pm-8pm
Silvi-No
BY EHSSAN VEISZADEH
Sydney based Italians will
call for the resignation of
Italian Prime Minister Silvio
Berlusconi as they join a
global day of protest on
Saturday.
The ‘No Berlusconi Day’
will see more than 240,000
people holding rallies across
major European capitals,
America, the Middle East
and Latin America.
Raffaele Pellico who is
organising the Sydney
protest moved to Australia
last year after being
frustrated with the state of
politics back home. “One of
the reasons was because I
was tired to hear about
Berlusconi on every single
television station — the Italian
Prime Minister is the owner
of the three most important
commercial TV channels,”
Mr Pellico said. “So after my
graduation I took the first
airplane and I left for the
farthest place possible.”
According to him, scores
of Italians have also made
the decision to leave the
country for this reason.
“Lots of young Italian
people are leaving the
country because of this
reason. But this shouldn’t
happen. People need to go
back to Italy to fight and to
try to build a better
country.”
Mr Pellico is embarrassed
of the constant negative news
about the Prime Minister.
“[The fact that] a Prime
Minister is known around
the world for his relationship
with girls tells you that he is
not doing his job.”
A corruption trial against
Prime Minister Berlusconi
will resume on Friday after
the country’s constitutional
court lifted his immunity
from prosecution. He is
accused of paying his former
British tax adviser David
Mills $US600,000 in bribes
to give misleading evidence
in two corruption trials. Last
month Mills’ had his fourand-a-half-year sentence
confirmed by an appeal
Oxford Street is not what it
used to be for Michael Hartigan
Nearly a quarter of a million people across the
globe will hold a co-ordinated ‘No Berlusconi Day’
against the Italian Prime Minister this weekend
court in Milan for accepting
the bribes.
“In this period when all
the other Prime Ministers
are thinking how to help
people who have lost their
jobs, how to help their
people survive this
[economic] crisis, in Italy he
is trying to save himself
from loss [sic] in the tribunal
for mafia and corruption,”
Mr Pellico said.
“We don’t want him as
Prime Minister because he is
not doing a good job for
Italy — he is only thinking
about himself.”
The rally will be held in
front of the Italian consulate
in Circular Quay at 1pm on
Saturday.
BY EHSSAN VEISZADEH
Michael Hartigan has been living in the
area for twelve years and says big
licensed venues have come to
dominate Darlinghurst. “I think it’s a
disgrace. I think it’s gone downhill big
time because there’s too many licensed
venues in the area,” he said.
“We’ve actually lost a lot of the
people from the area, both owners and
renters, because they’ve had enough
with the anti-social behaviour.”
Mr Hartigan and other locals have
been long campaigning against large
hotels from expanding their premises in
the area. His current battle against
Kinselas Hotel has seen matters moving
a little too close to home.
The hotel has lodged a Development
Application with the council to expand
its premises and to convert a part of
the building to a smoking and gaming
area, just six meters from Mr Hartigan’s
apartment.
He said other tenants in the building
share his worry that the increase in
noise and smoke will affect their quality
of life. “It’s people’s sleep, it’s their
health, it’s their homes.
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10
“Some people are working two jobs
to pay their mortgage. And for whatever
reason, I don’t quite understand, the
council and the Land and Environment
Court seem to bend over backwards to
accommodate these smokers.
“With all the trouble, if you want to
start cleaning up Oxford Street, I think
we need less licensed venues in the
area and they should start closing a few
of them down, knocking back their DA’s
when they change hands and put in
fresh DA’s.”
Mr Hartigan fears the planned
upgrade to Kinselas will further add to
the area’s increasing level of anti-social
behaviour. “One of my main concerns is
that with all the anti-social behavior in
the area and the alcohol-fueled
violence, the last thing we need is a
larger hotel.”
“People from out west, [once] their
venues close, they come in here and
park in our streets and disturb us
residents from our sleep with their cars
and their doof-doof music, and they
throw rubbish out of their cars and piss
up against our properties,” he said.
Jacksons Landing ready for Christmas
The PA vs the petrolhead
BY PETER WHITEHEAD
Last week it was your
columnist’s happy lot to be at a
‘pop-up bar’ in Rushcutters Bay
sampling the fine Italian varietals
produced in Victoria’s King
Valley.
Off his bike with a dodgy hip
and tetchy from insufficient
riding, your reporter eschewed
circumspection when that
lukewarm topic of cycleways
was broached. A lively-minded
young lady [bound by the
vicissitudes of fate and a
progressive pay scale to assist
our state member for Sydney]
sang the praises of the Separated
12
Bi-Directional Cycleway in
Bourke Street. Like her boss she
assumed that opposition to a SBDC betrayed high-octane petrolheadedness and ambitions to
develop Moore Park into a
memorial carpark.
Your mild mannered man in
the street explained patiently
from his great height that the
SB-DCs are narrow and
inappropriate. They are,
indeed, over-engineered
exorbitancies being shoe-horned
like an ugly sister’s foot into the
small but perfectly proportioned
bicycle boulevarde that is
Bourke Street now.
Like that King Street thing
turning cyclists away in droves,
this set-in-stone goat-track of
stupidity and nanny-state
fussiness will fust little-used. The
desperate straws of Lord Mayor
Moore’s “high quality network
of cycle paths and lanes that will
make cycling a relaxed, safe,
mainstream activity” will not be
pressed into effective service in
the political lifetime of our
independent coalition’s control
of City Hall.
The exponential rise of biking
numbers will make narrow
concrete runnels dangerously
unviable - about as useful as a
fist up the cloaca of Sydney’s
straining traffic “systems”.
Loosening the RTA’s hold on
our inner city roadways will
permit them to be unblocked of
cars. But those greasy, grey,
granite constructions – Clover’s
chokers – will lie lurking like
liver flukes, in perpetuity –
murmuring “Look on my works,
ye mighty, and despair!”.
Better that the space
commandeered for the SB-DC
be made parking for electric CoS
share cars.
Our hapless politician’s PA
did wave in my direction as she
left. But I couldn’t count how
many fingers were engaged in
the gesture.
BY JENNY BLAIN
Pyrmont’s Jackson’s Landing
will come alive for this year’s
Christmas celebration, with
two new exciting main acts.
Coming from opposite ends
of the musical spectrum will be
opera singers Cheryl Barker
and her husband Peter
Coleman-Wright, performing
as members of a distinguished
resident-based quintet, as well
as the ABBA tribute band
FABBA.
Added to these treats will be
old favourites: the Army Band
playing from the Aqua Shell,
the Young Northside Big Band,
the Junior Choir and the
Jacksons Landing Singers.
The event is dependent
upon the support of local
businesses, donors and hardworking resident volunteers.
Last year’s concert raised
$14,000, as well as mountains
of toys and food.
Charities being supported
this year are the Salvation
Army, the Harris Centre and
the Fistula Hospital in Addis
Ababa, Ethiopia.
An important feature on the
night is the reverse Christmas
tree, a chance for people to
donate new unwrapped toys
and non-perishable food as
gifts for those in need.
Extra food and drink will be
available for picnickers and
raffle tickets for enticing prizes
will be on sale.
The date is Sunday,
December 13, between 5pm
and 9.15pm, at Cadi Park,
Refinery Drive, Pyrmont.
Those interested in attending
should call 9660 1017.
Graffiti of the Week
This van, dumped near
Kings Cross after being
written-off while parked
down the road by a
rampaging 4WD, seems
to have been co-opted by
a nearby bar whose
owners must be getting
impatient because it
blocks their business from
public view. Not too
pretty but a brief respite
from the corporate
uniformity of our streets.
EAT & DRINK
[email protected]
by Jackie McMillan
F O O D I E S ’ D I A RY
PRICING
$ - mains less than $15
$$ - mains between $15-$22
$$$ - mains between $22-$30
$$$$ - mains over $30
ROCKS & CBD
Artful Food 1
Living in the inner west, I sometimes avoid the city’s plentiful
restaurants in favour of a quick (motorised) getaway – sadly
parking can be the decider. But when it comes to shows, the
Sydney Opera House is unmatched as a venue and their
Director of Contemporary Culture,Virginia Hyam, knows
how to put together an enticing programme. So next time
you’re booking a show, take a look at the new Show Plus
packages, which combine a two-course pre-theatre dinner at
restaurants like Aria, Bilson’s Number One,Wildfire and East
Restaurant with interval drinks and parking. It’s a two tiered
pricing system ($78/ Silver, $98/ Gold) dependent upon
which restaurant you choose, so why not try out some top
end venues at a (safely) fixed price? Aria’s offering a tempting
Kurobuta sweet pork belly with pork croquette, paradise
pears and pear chutney... but if you need more food for
thought, menus are online at www.sydneyoperahouse.com.
Artful Food 2
In a temptingly edible piece of theatre, the Sugar Spun Fairy
wiggled coquettishly while Australian gastronomic legends
Tony Bilson (Bilson’s), Cheong Liew (formerly The Grange,
Adelaide) and Tetsuya Wakuda (Tetsuya’s) used hammers to
denude her of her sweet attire.The sugary spoils were met
with enthusiasm from foodie notables like John Newton,
Lyndey Milan and this humble scribe, at the launch of Cuisine
Now last week. I’m already itching to attend a bunch of events
in the two week festival which starts on the 11th January,
2010, running concurrently with the Sydney Festival. Events
include the Australian chefs mentioned above, and some
notable international stars like Nicolas le Bec (Lyon) matched
up with stars of opera and cabaret like Australia’s Paul Capsis
and French chanteuse Caroline Nin.Those living in the inner
west will be well placed to attend with many events hosted at
the brand new green-star Doltone House! Tickets go on sale
on the 28th November, 2009 at www.cuisinenow.com.au.
Tarting Up Xmas
If you’re a deft hand at tarting up Christmas leftovers, FoodWise
have rebranded Boxing Day as National Leftovers Day, to help
raise awareness about the environmental and financial costs of
food wastage.They’re running a competition on their website
www.foodwise.com.au until the 15th December.To be in the
running to win a $2000 Tupperware makeover all you need to
do is give away your best method for using up tasty Christmas
leftovers.They have already received a bunch of great
suggestions, including this corker from Amy Miller:“We take all
left over fruit & nuts and any Christmas cake, mix it in with
some vanilla ice cream and make a whole new Boxing Day ice
cream cake.” Now that sounds both tasty and clever!
14
Ocean Room
Sit beneath a wood-wind cathedral
of quivering wood batons and
explore contemporary tradition in
Executive Chef Raita Noda’s updated
menu. His Chotto Collection ($23)
is playfully tactile; his Sake Jelly Bar
Cod ($21) drips umami as you
unwrap smoky konbu ribbons to
reveal silky seared cod; and the Tuna
Creation ($23) combines creative
cubes with salted spoons, but
eschews sharing.A salmon pink 2007
Chateau Riotor Rose ($11/glass,
$58/bottle) wins with sweet
strawberries and reassuring dryness.
Decadent Peppercorn Lobster
($19/100g, 600-800g) is salty yet
satisfying, and a steaming Ocean
Trout Pot ($37) was creamy and
entertaining.
Bay 4, Ground Level, Overseas
Passenger Terminal, George Street,The
Rocks (02) 9252 9585
www.oceanroomsydney.com
DARLO, KINGS X
& SURRY HILLS
Tharen’s
This iconic venue dates back to
1979. Groups flock here for fun
headwear dress-ups, lubricated by
sparkling La Vie Pinot Noir
Chardonnay ($38); flaming Bombé
Alaska; and a surprisingly good meal.
Entrees like Twice Cooked Four
Cheese Soufflé or Chicken Liver
Parfait with Roast Honey Figs are
great. For mains I favoured Veal with
Porcini Gratin over the nicely
cooked Lemon and Dill Crusted
Salmon with Citrus Sabayon. Bread,
salad, vegetables and dessert are
included too.While we finished our
lovely 2007 Daniel Dampt Chablis
($55) almost everyone got up
dancing! Grinning staff side-stepped
expertly - refreshingly attitude-free.
13-15 Kellett Way, Kings Cross
(02) 9326 9510 www.tharens.com.au
Theatre Restaurant ($59.50/head,
$93.50/unlimited alcohol)
Cantina Bar & Grill
Easy drinking jugs of Margaritas
Espana ($35/carafe) have a citrusvanilla flavour that suits Scallop and
Prawn Stuffed Piquillo Peppers
($5/piece).The specials board
produces a generous bowl of
Steamed Mussels ($12) with tomato,
white wine, saffron and coriander it begged for a bit of bread.
Chickpea Salad ($14) with grilled
peppers, Manchego, cucumber, mint
and onion proved a compelling foil
to the Char Grilled Angus Beef
($20) with Chimichurri.Walk-up
diners are welcomed, often to stoolstyle seats, but after a few selections
from wines from Argentina, Chile
and Spain, you probably won’t care
where you’re sitting.
245 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst
(02) 9357 3033 www.cantina.net.au
Mediterranean Tapas $$-$$$
Legno
This light and airy, modern space
won me; over-delivering with a
Legno Pizza ($20) – big taste from
pancetta, porcini, Italian sausage and
garlic, on a delicious, thin base.The
aged Beef Carpaccio ($19) is easy to
eat, as are ricotta-stuffed Zucchini
Flowers ($17). Confit Duck-Leg
Risotto ($26) is heavy on the duck
and big on flavour.The hand-made
mint pappardelle with slow cooked
Lamb Ragu ($22) shows their
commitment to sourcing great
produce. Our 2008 Pasqua Soave
($7/glass, $24/bottle) was easydrinking and affordable.The
caramelised Banana and Chocolate
Calzone ($12) with butterscotch
sauce will lure me back.
529 Elizabeth Street, Surry Hills
(02) 9698 8225
www.legnopizzeria.com.au
Italian $$$
INNER WEST
(Pyrmont/Balmain/
Leichhardt/Glebe)
Revolver
Rod Jones (Cafe Niki) has opened the
hip, local cafe of my dreams in the
genteel surrounds of a quiet
Annandale back street - think refitted
general store, antiques and a great
young chef, Rebecca Chippington. I
enjoyed her gently cooked
Scrambled Eggs with Avocado,Tomato
and Fetta Salsa ($12); her lean and
lovely Ultimate Cheeseburger with
Dijonaise Potato Salad ($14); and her
fabulous House-Made Granola
($9.50) with fruit, orange reduction
and Evia gelatine-free yoghurt. Enjoy
one of Rod’s Mum’s sublime Choccy
Melting Moment ($3.50) with a wellmade (Morgan’s) Coffee ($3.20) or a
lovely house-blended tea like Carnival
($4) with papaya and coconut.
Baroque Bistro Patisserie
*NEW*
Let’s not mince words - Pierre
Gobert’s macarons are excellent. Cafe
Gourmand ($10) gives you a coffee
and three ‘flavours of the day’
including the lovely Olive Oil and
Vanilla – I’m yet to strike a bad flavour. Now the important stuff is
out of the way; the heritage space had been kept nicely raw,
accented with gleaming rose copper and expensive foreign (Italian)
chairs you can see right through! Behind the pans,Yann Fontaine
(ex-Bilson’s) makes quality French bistro-style (fast) food. If that’s
not enough, the handsome French waiters decked out in handmade aprons should seal the deal – highly recommended for the
‘ladies who lunch’ set! Married me settles for Baked Eggs with
Porcini Cream and Toasted Baguette ($13) – who knew it could be
an entree as well as breakfast? If you’re not partial to butter and
cream (why?) the Snail and Asparagus Salad ($13) is lovely and
bright, with orange segments and baby spinach. The wine list reads
like a list of my all-time favourites. If you like to drink local, go the
2008 Crawford River ‘Young Vines’ Riesling ($10/glass, $42/bottle)
or the 2009 Spring Vale Chardonnay ($9/glass, $39/bottle). If you’re
partial to the foreign stuff, the 2008 Daniel Dampt Chablis
($14/glass, $64/bottle) is also lovely.
88 George Street,The Rocks (02) 9241 4811www.baroquebistro.com.au
Modern French $$$
Alio *NEW*
With the office Christmas party
looming, many a social club director
will be looking for the perfect place to
please everyone, within the constraints
of budget. If you’re the one struggling,
this venue is an accessible, middle-ofthe-road Italian restaurant conveniently located for both parking and
public transport. I’d take the latter and leave the wine in the capable
hands of owner Tracey Hughes. She’s a star on the floor with genuine
warmth and her seductive description of the 2007 Joseph Cattin
Pinot Blanc ($45) involved toasting the insides of the wooden barrels
to produce the yummy caramel notes the wine displayed so readily.
The dishes of her brother, Head Chef Ashley Hughes, celebrate
simplicity with the hand-made Focaccia and Grissini ($2) being a
great example.The best way to sample his menu is in the extremely
well-priced 6-Course Degustation ($65/head), which includes dishes
like the tasty Char-Grilled Black Angus Fillet with Fresh Baby Peas
($35); the zingy Fettuccine with King Prawns,Tomatoes and Nduja
Salami ($22/$30); and the approachable entree of Prosciutto, Rocket,
Walnut, and Pear with Gorgonzola Dressing ($22). À la carte diners
have the ability to add a refreshing Blood Orange Sorbet ($3)
between entrees and mains – an unusual, unpretentious & egalitarian
twist!
5 Baptist St, Surry Hills (02) 8394-9368 www.alio.com.au
Modern Italian $$$$
Din Tai Fung *NEW*
Dumplings are about precision; perhaps
that’s why an international chain does ‘em
best. First thing each day temperature
and humidity readings are taken to
calculate the perfect dough formula. Each
masked, white-clad, member of the
dumpling chain gang uses gold scales (accurate to 0.01) to ensure
uniformity; down to a minimum of eighteen pinched folds. Daily staff
tastings happen with enough time to correct the dough. Dumplings are
made to order (no circulating trolleys), the silky pleated perfection of the
Crab Meat, Roe & Pork Dumplings ($15.80/6 pieces) shows why; the
signature Pork Dumplings ($8.80/6 pieces) are damned fine too.Avoid
dumpling overload with a Vegetarian Delight ($3.80) dried tofu, seaweed
and glass noodles in sesame; and a refreshing Lychee and Mint Juice
($6.00) before you sample excellent Pork and Prawn Wontons in Spicy
Sauce ($8.80/6 pieces).You can try a Pork Bun ($2.80) if you save room
for an even better dessert, a Steamed Black Sesame Bun ($2.80). Deep
fried only gets a menu look-in with divine Golden Red Bean Bread
($5.80/2 pieces).You will appreciate the sparkling clean, non-intimidating
surrounds; the nicely lacquered picture menus; attentive, impeccably
dressed staff and the concise guide to dipping, stabbing, slurping and
swallowing your way to dumpling heaven.
Level 1,World Square Shopping Centre, 644 George Street, Sydney
(02) 9264 6010 www.dintaifung.com.tw
Taiwanese/Dumplings $-$$
Spigolo *NEW*
One glance at the menu and you’d
be forgiven for thinking that Pino
Nocera just delivers ordinary Italian
classics. After you cut into your
huge, puffy Calzone Pulcinella
($22.90) revealing creamy white
contents wrapped in tasty, chewy
dough topped by fresh tomato and shaved Parmesan, you’ll be a
convert. A neighbouring lady diner seemed daunted by hers but
recovered to pose open-mouthed before it, quipping to her male
companion: “I’m that good!” Ah sex in the città! She can be
excused - al fresco tables under the faux grape vines are romantic,
and the handsome, muscular wait staff ooze Italian charm and
speak the mother tongue. So do many of the patrons. Pino’s son
Luigi stands out on the floor with five-star experience, coaxing us
into a (regular) special of Fettuccini Lobster ($31.90) with a good
bisque-like sauce evenly coating every al dente strand. The popular
Eye Fillet ($31.90) is almost eclipsed by the accompanying pepper
sauce, so good it turns all items on my plate into vehicles for
delivering more! There’s a lot of time in the detailed explanations
on the Italian wine list. We opted for an inexpensive Fazio
Montélimo Nero D’Avola Merlot ($26.90) - a fruity, easy
companion to our food and the hot night.
60 Riley Street, Darlinghurst (02) 9356 3288 www.spigolo.com.au
Italian $$-$$$
EAT & DRINK
291 Annandale Street,Annandale
(02) 9555 4727
Cafe $
The Restaurant at 3 Weeds
Leigh McDivitt is the current head
chef at Rozelle’s gastro-pub hero. It
doesn’t get much better than his
Rabbit, Chestnut and Foie Gras
Terrine ($23) unless you try his
Seared Scallops with Morcilla,
Chorizo,Truffled White Bean Puree
and Coriander ($22). Mains like
Thirlmere Duck Breast with Lentils,
Beetroot, Parsnip, Orange and
Pistachio ($38) use eye-catching
plating, but it’s pricy when you
consider that you’ll need three
courses plus sides.The decadent
Truffle and Parmesan Potato Puree
($10) is worth a whirl. Stand-out
sommelier Nicholas Luhman
triangulated us a superb drop in the
Central Otago 2007 Rippon Riesling
($55)!
197 Evans Street, Rozelle
(02) 9818 2788 www.3weeds.com.au
Gastro Pub $$$$
NEWTOWN & ENVIRONS
(Marrickville/Petersham
/Dulwich Hill/Waterloo
Eagle Boys, Newtown
This bastion of regional Australian
cuisine has landed in the big smoke,
taking on the cheesy, fast-food pizza
set with (according to franchisee
Brian Meknas (ex-Pizza Haven), lighter
dough and “unlike Domino’s and Pizza
Hut they don’t use flavoured meats”.
Shudder. Commence with a Garlic
Aioli Four-Slice Pizza ($4.95) then
[email protected]
by Jackie McMillan
order the Chicken Club ($13.95) or
the perennial regional favourite, surf
and turf, in a Steak and Prawn
($13.95) pizza.The Apple Crumble
Dessert ‘Thingie’ ($4.95) is warm and
full of spiced apple. I doubt gourmet
pizza makers will tremble, but I’d
crown ‘em king of the rest.Tuesdays
see super cheap pick-up pizzas
($4.95)!
2 King Street, Newtown
(131) 433 www.eagleboys.com.au
Pizza $
Black Star Pastry
Is this Sydney’s best pastry shop?
Strawberry Crumble Tart ($4.50) is a
vivid strawberry explosion with a
buttery pastry shell. Rose and Lilac
Macaroons ($3.50) are texturally
perfect; Custard Tarts ($5) are rich
and creamy.White Nectarine Jelly
Panna cotta ($5) gives restaurant
quality dessert for very little coin!
Well-made Little Marionette Coffee
($3) comes quickly, from affable staff.
Savoury treats like Zucchini and
Pumpkin Muffins ($3.50) are moist
and tasty; the Lamb Shank Pie ($6.50)
is a contender for Sydney’s tastiest
pie. Christopher The (ex-Claude’s) is
doing quality baking in this tiny quirky
space with rustic furnishings for eat-in
fun.
277 Australia Street, Newtown
(02) 9557 8656
Cafe $
Guzman y Gomez
If (like me) you rushed in here when
they first opened, give them another
go.They’ve tightened the menu,
adjusted the chilli, improved the
Le Pain Quotidien *NEW*
This week I am touting Norton Street
venues that stray from the expected
cuisine. I recently reminded myself on a
sun-drenched afternoon why I frequent
this cafe.Their Toasted Ham and Cheese
Croissant ($7.95) remains an exercise in
perfection, perched on an artist’s palette with a trio of mustards and
artfully arranged slices of radish and cucumber.A thick toasted slice of
Banana Bread ($5) came with naught but a golden wedge of butter – ah
simplicity.The latter suited the well-made Iced Coffee ($5.50), while the
former was accented by a refreshing Apple and Ginger ($4.75).With
the memory of this experience fresh in my mind, when we were next
struck with a hunger plagued by indecision (a rare thing in my house)
we returned for an evening grazing meal made up of two platters. Did I
mention indecisive? The Board of Fine Cheeses ($19.95) impressed
with super fresh pecans, a chalky goat’s cheese, aged cheddar and
Gruyère, mild brie and a Fourme d’Ambert blue.The Charcuterie
Platter ($19.95) had a good assortment of cold meats, a fat slice of pate
and cornichons. Both were accompanied by a generous selection of
rustic breads; and went well with a surprisingly accessible Hunter Valley
Rosemount Show Reserve Chardonnay ($8/glass, $36/bottle).
54 Norton Street, Leichhardt (02) 9564 0099 www.lepainquotidien.com
French/Café $-$$
guacamole and added alcohol. I loved
the Smokin’ Hot Margarita ($8) with
chilli infused Tequila, and the Beef
Chilli Nachos ($9.90) with excellent
black beans, tomato salsa, guacamole
and chunky steak-rich chilli.A Steak
and Onion Quesadilla ($7 / 2 pieces)
is fat with tasty filling; and the Mini
Burrito ($7) fits better in your mouth.
The caramel Flan ($2.80) will put out
the fire.Also in Bondi Junction, Kings
Cross and Australia Square.
175 King Street, Newtown
(02) 9517 1533
www.guzmanygomez.com.au
Mexican $
EASTERN SUBURBS
& BEACHES
Ravesi’s
A floor above and a cut above the
standard Bondi Beach fare, now with
wine bar! Take in the panoramic view
from resort style lounges on the
spacious balcony, with Seared Tuna
Spoons ($12/4 pieces) and Fantinel
Extra Dry Proscecco ($9). In the
restaurant, Grilled Scallops with
Roasted Peppers,Tomato and Goats’
Cheese ($18) are unusual but
accessible. Mains like Lamb Loin
The Balkan Grill *NEW*
This recently reborn space will speak to
those who have a penchant for the
cuisines of Central Europe. Climb the
stairs from Norton Street and leave
behind the buzz of ‘Little Italy’ for a (much
needed) cultural interloper. I must not be
the only one who thinks so because as I enjoyed my lunch on the wide,
covered balcony, I noticed staff from the neighbourhood’s community bank
also taking advantage of the very reasonable prices.With Sasha Alexsander
(Taste of Brazil) in charge of the menu, you’d be right to assume that grilled
meat will be well handled.The tender lumps of skewered lamb Raznjici
($19) were indeed a highlight. More surprising was the bowl of Mushroom
Dumplings ($8.50) so tasty they are only topped with a blob of sour
cream and a sprinkle of lightly charred onion.The Balkan Antipasta Platter
($12.50) includes bread, a selection of home-made dips, salads and tasty
lean cevapcici (skinless sausage); so it’s an excellent option if you like
grazing. Balance is important to this cuisine, so throw in a refreshingly
simple Cabbage Salad ($4.50/small) regardless.To drink select from
exclusive on tap beers like Hoegaarden, Asahi or Fat Yak ($4-$6.50); or
wines including a decent Cape Campbell Pinot Gris ($8/glass, $45/bottle).
The Zoo Bar, Level 1, 55 Norton Street, Leichhardt (02) 9564 1777
www.thezoobar.com.au
Central European $$
Cutlets with Horseradish Crust,
Golden Shallots and Beetroot ($36)
still showed lipstick traces of winter’s
cool kiss, but the White Chocolate
and Coconut Panna Cotta ($15) with
a passion fruit sorbet was all
summer!
118 Campbell Parade, Bondi Beach
(02) 9365 4422 www.ravesis.com.au
Modern Australian $$$-$$$$
Abang Sam
The Malay tiger may have been
tamed too far - our Eggplant Sambal
($10) raised no sweat. Success was
had with Abang Sam’s Famous Satay
Sticks ($9 / 6 pieces) with good
peanut sauce and cute compressed
rice squares. Rendang Daging ($14) is
rich and complex; Roti Canai ($9/2
piece) are good too, but take chicken
curry over the dhal. Friendly staff coo
over youngsters, and warned us we
wouldn’t like the sour (and fishy)
Penang Laksa ($12). End with a
surprisingly complex shave-ice Ais
Kacang ($6), made with palm seed,
corn kernels, grass jelly, red beans and
brown sugar syrup.
Shop 1, 214 Anzac Parade, Kensington
(02) 9662 6554
Malaysian $$
15
A RT S & E N T E RTA I N M E N T
BY SOPHIE MALLAM
a&e
COMEDY:
DANIEL KITSON’S
66A CHURCH ROAD
ARTS &
ENTERTAINMENT
WHAT’S ON
EXHIBITION: FIONA FOLEY’S FORBIDDEN
HHH #1 2004 © Fiona Foley, photo by Dennis Cowley
Photo by Benjamin Townsend
18
There’s something spectacularly
familiar about Sydney summers: the
floating jasmine musk in dusky streets
and the smell of sunscreen and salty
ocean all combine to invoke
sometimes incredibly intense echoes
of childhood in this reviewer.This
nostalgia thing is an interesting beast,
as the flipside of its element of rosetinted happy snaps is the darkness of
all unrequited love - a longing that’s
inherently unsatisfiable, for a place in
time to which we can never return.
The word nostalgia’s original
meaning, UK comedian Daniel Kitson
tells us in the first moments of his
beautiful and bittersweet new theatre
work, is a painful ache to a return to
home or country. It is through this
notion that he frames his one-man
elegy to the flat he lived in for sixand-a-half years in Crystal Palace. He
intersperses his wry and delightful
monologues of finding and inhabiting
the place with more melancholy
voice-overs, through which the lost
flat becomes a symbol of a lost girl
and the untraversable distances
which separate us from what’s
passed.The battered old suitcases
which surround Kitson on the set
and which conceal tiny dioramic
representations of 66A’s old rooms
fit this moving (pun!) lament perfectly.
A work that brought sadness but
mostly joy.
Until Dec 13, Sydney Opera
House, $30-$54, 9250 7777 or
sydneyoperahouse.com
21
MUSIC
22
MOVIES
BY SOPHIE MALLAM
Go to:
www.altmedia.net.au
for more A&E stories
Arts Editor:
Angela Bennetts
Listings Editor:
Sophie Tarr
Music Editor:
Chris Peken
Contributors:
Aidan Roberts, Michelle Porter,
Kate Britton, Adam Guetti,
Leon Rogovoy, Meenal Kumar,
Rebecca Keane, Mark Gertskis,
James Harkness,
Anthony Edward Bell,
Lena Rutkowski, Nell Greco,
Komi Sellathurai, Alex Bodman,
Alex Britton, Sam Moginie &
Sophie Mallam
THEATRE: SHINING CITY
BY KOMI SELLATHURAI
The city is Dublin and its shine, lacklustre. Beneath the grey, a man (John)
is haunted by the ghost of his newly deceased wife.To keep from going
insane, he seeks the help of a therapist.Written by Irish playwright Conor
McPherson, Shining City is easily the best play I’ve seen all year. Like that
subtle line in a book that speaks only to you, McPherson’s words pull you
in without your knowledge. Couple that with two brilliant leads Laurence Coy playing John and Alan Dukes as Ian, his therapist - and
you’ve got story telling at its best. Half the story is told through John’s
honest to goodness monologues and the other half through Ian’s painful
and awkward encounters, both gelled together by the bleakest of human
loneliness.This is an exploration of a fragile subject matter conveyed with
a self-deprecating sense of humour. And of course, there’s the case of that
wandering ghost in a red coat.
Until Dec 19, SBW Stables Theatre, 10 Nimrod Street, Kings Cross,
$23-$30, 8002 4772, griffintheatre.com.au
“She’s very interested in Australia’s colonial history
and its impact on the present, and essentially sees her
role as being that of an educator,” says MCA Senior
Curator Rachel Kent of prolific Fraser Island-based
artist, academic and curator Fiona Foley.The subject
of a new solo exhibition at the museum
encompassing work from the past fifteen years of her
practice, a key element of the Badtjala woman’s visual
art is about,“bringing these often quite confronting
and tragic stories to light that we may not be aware
of or frankly would prefer not to be aware of”, says
Kent.
Particularly compelling for Kent in her joint curatorial
venture with the University of Queensland Art
Museum was a sculptural work called Land Deal;
comprised of a haunting inventory of objects like
flour, tomahawks and eyeglasses for which Tasmanian
colonist John Batman traded a tremendous area of
land from the Wurundjeri people of Victoria in 1835,
along with the promise of a yearly exchange of
further objects.“Quite clearly it was an inequitable
exchange and I doubt there would have actually been
an awareness that actually what he was doing was
taking the land ...yet this is what subsequently has
become the basis of Melbourne - it’s essentially
stolen land,” she says. Not only was the subsequent
yearly tribute of items never paid, but,“Two years
later the Governor of NSW actually turned around
and declared that this exchange was invalid because
the land had been essentially awaiting colonisation on
the basis of Terra Nullius. I found this history to be
quite shocking.”
Of a similarly revelatory nature is an utterly
mesmeric video work called Bliss which contrasts
exquisitely lovely, almost Keatsian footage of a hazy
field of mauve poppies shimmering in the wind, with
textual information about the history of indigenous
exploitation and addiction that was the opium trade
in Far North Queensland. It should be noted that,
while political in nature, Foley’s work also
demonstrates incredible restraint.“She uses a
combination of subtlety, provocation, sometimes it’s
humour or an element of irony,” says Kent,“which is
a more effective way to get her message across than
direct confrontation.” From the austere elegance of
Wild Times Call; a photographic work of Foley in
Seminole dress that the viewer must wade through a
sea of corn kernels to experience, to the understated
defiance of Black Velvet; an evocation of female
genitalia printed on dili bags to hint at the colonial
exploitation of indigenous womens’ sexuality - it’s
powerful work that should not be missed.
Until Jan 31, 2010, Museum of Contemporary
Art, 140 George Street,The Rocks, mca.com.au
17
W H AT ’ S O N
THEATRE &
PERFORMANCE
Absurd Person Singular
Three’s a charm in Alan
Ayckbourn’s comedy, as a trio of
married couples celebrate
Christmas Eve.
Until 16 Jan.
Ensemble Theatre, 78 McDougall
St, Kirribilli. $39-63. 9929 0644,
www.ensemble.com.au
Cabaret
Over a few tumultuous months, a
young writer and a child-like singer
are swept up into a dark world of
political chaos in 1930s Berlin.
Meanwhile, things are hotting up in
the decadent Kit Kat Klub cabaret
too.
Until 19 Dec.
New Theatre, 542 King St,
Newtown. $17-28. 1300 306 76,
www.newtheatre.org.au
Chatroom
Six teenagers flirt with power and
rebellion in cyberspace in this
production from the NSW Public
Schools Drama Company.
8 – 9 Dec.
Seymour Centre, cnr Cleveland St
& City Rd, Chippendale.
$18.50-27.50. 9351 7940,
www.seymourcentre.com.au
The Christian Brothers
Ron Blair’s classic monologue of
50s faith, doubt and possibility.
Until 6 Dec.
TAP Gallery, 278 Palmer St,
Darlinghurst. 9361 0440,
www.tapgallery.org.au
Dickens Down Under
Melvyn Morrow does Dickens with
a special nod to his two Australiabound boys.
Until 12 Dec.
Genesian Theatre, 420 Kent St,
Sydney. $20-25. 1300 306 776,
www.genesiantheatre.com.au
Happy Days
Everything’s gone to mud in Samuel
Beckett’s play – or dirt, rather.
Winnie is half-buried in a mound of
earth, her husband lives in a hole in
the ground behind her, and she’s
keeping a revolver handy just in
case it all gets too much. But don’t
call her a pessimist:Winnie’s still
firmly holding out hope that love
will conquer all.
Until 16 Dec.
Belvoir St Theatre, 18 Belvoir St,
Surry Hills. $34-56. 9699 3444,
www.belvoir.com.au
Hymn à Piaf
Cabaret sensation Caroline Nin is
back to perform a tender tribute
to Piaf, reinvigorating the classic
songs.
Until 5 Dec.
The Vanguard, 42 King St,
Newtown. $40-45, $76-105 with
dinner. 9020 6959,
www.thevanguard.com.au
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Eamon Flack directs this
contemporary revisit of one of
Shakespeare’s most popular
comedies.
Until 20 Dec.
Belvoir St Theatre, 18 Belvoir St,
Surry Hills. Previews $20. $23-29,
cheap Tuesdays from $10.
9699 3444, www.belvoir.com.au
Lovebites
The blissful, heart-breaking and
purely tragic scenarios of love
thoroughly entertain in this musical
by James Millar and Peter
Rutherford – despite the odd naff
moment so familiar to this genre.
(NG)
Until 5 Dec.
& City Rd, Chippendale. $19-34.
9351 7940,
18
The Mysteries: Genesis
A team of Australian writers and
directors present the stories from
the big dawn: the Creation, the
Fall, the Expulsion from Eden, Cain
and Abel, Noah’s Ark.
Until 19 Dec.
Sydney Theatre Company, Pier 4,
Hickson Rd, Walsh Bay. $30-75.
9250 7777,
www.sydneytheatre.com.au
Pennies from Kevin:The
Wharf Revue
Some skits miss the spot, but
writer-performers Jonathan
Biggins, Drew Forsythe and Phillip
Scott have come through with an
enjoyable enough romp through
the year’s political ups and downs.
(ST)
Until 16 Dec.
Sydney Theatre, Pier 4, Hickson
Rd, Walsh Bay. $45-55. 9250 7777,
www.sydneytheatre.com.au
Public Bunnies (Op. In C#
Minor)
The 2009 imPACT ensemble
perform their self-devised
installation work, centred on a city
of debris. Directed by composer
and filmmaker Michal Imielski,
Public Bunnies is at once about an
organism and a culture.
Until 12 Dec.
PACT Theatre, 107 Railway Pde,
Erskineville. $15-20. 9550 2744,
www.pact.net.au
Ruby Moon
White-picket-fence comfort
adopts a darker edge in this
suburban Little Red Riding Hood
update, from writer Matthew
Cameron.
Until 12 Dec.
Newtown Theatre, cnr King &
Bray St, Newtown. $18-27.
newtowntheatre.com.au
Shining City
On discovering that even death
isn’t enough to part from his
recently deceased wife, Dublindwelling John turns to the friendly
neighbourhood priest-cumtherapist for some advice.
Until 19 Dec.
SBW Stables Theatre, 10 Nimrod
St, Kings Cross. $23-30. 8002 4772
or www.griffintheatre.com.au
Sunset Limited
A God-fearing ex-con throws
himself under a train only to be
rescued by an atheist professor,
prompting both to confront life’s
big questions anew.
Until 12 Dec.
Ensemble Theatre, 78 McDougall
St, Kirribilli. $39-63. 9929 0644,
www.ensemble.com.au
Sydney Ghost Stories
You might want to invest in a
night light before coming along
to this series of short plays
from some of Sydney’s best
and brightest young thespians,
including Toby Schmitz, Stephen
Sewell and Lachlan Philpott.
Until 10 Dec.
Old Fitzroy Theatre, 129
Dowling St, Woolloomooloo.
$17-29 or $25-35 with dinner.
1300 483 849,
www.rocksurfers.org
Wicked:The Untold Story of
the Witches of Oz
Long before Toto and Dorothy
turned up, two girls had a
rendezvous in Oz: one beautiful
and popular, the other smart and
fiery but decidedly – well – green.
Wicked follows the girls as they
grow to become Glinda the Good
Witch and the Wicked Witch of
the West, with appropriate dashes
of wit and warmth.
Until 12 Dec.
Capitol Theatre, 13 Campbell St,
Haymarket. $69.90-129.90.
1300 723 038,
wickedthemusical.com.au,
ticketmaster.com.au
World AIDS Day Concert:The
Elton John Tribute
Performers including Ricki-Lee
Coulter, Rob Mills and Courtney
Act are coming together to raise
awareness of HIV/AIDS, and
celebrate the music of the
legendary Elton John. Proceeds
from this year’s concert will help
fund vital services for people living
with HIV.
6 Dec.
& City Rd, Chippendale. $60-70.
9351 7940,
COMEDY
Thursday 3 December
The Christmas Special – The
Comedy Store ($20)
Dave Jory, Peter Green, Greg Fleet –
Laugh Garage Comedy Club
($11.50-17)
Good Evening:The Sketches of Peter
Cook, Dudley Moore, Shaun Micallef,
Stephen Curry – Sydney Opera
House ($49.90-59.90)
Quick, Some Comedy, Quick – Star
Bar ($9)
Scared Scriptless – The Roxbury
Hotel ($10)
Stand Up Comedy Cruise – Pyrmont
Bay Wharf ($90)
Friday 4 December
Comedy Store ($30)
Comedy Court – Star Bar ($15)
Damian Smith, Dave Jory, Peter
Meisel, Greg Fleet – Laugh Garage
Comedy Club ($22.50-27)
House ($49.90-59.90)
Jason Alexander – Enmore Theatre
($89.50)
Saturday 5 December
Anthony Salame’s Xmas Special –
Metro Theatre ($30)
Comedy Store ($30)
Cranston Cup Final – Enmore
Theatre ($38.50-45.50)
Damian Smith, Dave Jory, Peter
Meisel, Greg Fleet – Laugh Garage
House ($49.90-59.90)
Theatresports Grand Final – Enmore
Theatre ($38.50-45.50)
Tim Minchin – State Theatre
($49.95)
Sunday 6 December
House ($49.90-59.90)
Kosher Theatresports – Bondi
Pavilion (TBA)
Monday 7 December
Monday Night Comedy – Fringe Bar
($10)
Tuesday 8 December
Comedy Store ($10)
Clint Paddison, Brett Nichols, Dave
Eastgate – The Sugarmill ($10)
Comedy Competition – Laugh Garage
Full Body Contact No Love Tennis –
The Roxbury Hotel ($10)
Gagging For It: Clint Paddison, Brett
Nichols – Kit & Kaboodle ($10-25)
House ($49.90-59.90)
Wednesday 9 December
Comedy Store ($15)
House ($49.90-59.90)
New Comics Night – Laugh Garage
Thursday 10 December
Brett Nichols, Martin Henchion,
Darren Sanders – Laugh Garage
Comedy Store ($20)
House ($49.90-59.90)
A Mic in Hand – Friend in Hand
Pub ($8-10)
Quick, Some Comedy, Quick – Star
Bar ($9)
Friday 11 December
Brett Nichols, Bruce Griffiths, Darren
Sanders – Laugh Garage Comedy
Club ($22.50-27)
Comedy Store ($30)
Comedy Court – Star Bar ($15)
House ($49.90-59.90)
Scared Scriptless – The Roxbury
Hotel ($10)
Saturday 12 December
The Al Pitcher Picture Show – The
Comedy Store ($20-25)
Brett Nichols, Bruce Griffiths, Darren
Sanders – Laugh Garage Comedy
Club ($22.50-27)
Comedy Store ($30)
House ($49.90-59.90)
Sunday 13 December
House ($49.90-59.90)
HOT TIX
Echo & the Bunnymen
Liverpool’s cult faves present
their latest album The
Fountain. Tickets on sale 7
Dec.
27 Jan.
Enmore Theatre. $85.20.
132 849,
www.ticketek.com.au
Phoenix
The indie popsters behind
tracks like Everything is
Everything and Long Distance
Call are heading back to
Australia for a national
headline tour.They’ll be
supported by Miami Horror,
and tickets go on sale 10
Dec.
2 Mar.
Hordern Pavilion, Moore
Park. $79.90. 132 849,
www.ticketek.com.au
Them Crooked Vultures
With a lineup that reads like
a who’s who of
contemporary rock (Josh
Homme, Dave Grohl and
John Paul Jones, anyone?),
little wonder that the Vultures
have already sold out their
Sydney and Melbourne
shows. Happily, they’ve lined
up an extra performance in
each city, and tickets go on
sale 4 Dec.
27 Jan.
Hordern Pavilion, Moore
Park. $105.75. 132 849,
www.ticketek.com.au
PUBS, CLUBS AND BARS
Annandale Hotel:
Cnr Nelson St and Parramatta Rd,
Annandale. 9550 1078,
www.annandalehotel.com.au
The Argyle:
18 Argyle St,The Rocks.
9247 5500, www.theargyle.biz
Bank Hotel:
324 King St, Newtown.
9557 1692
The Basement:
29 Reiby Pl, Circular Quay.
9251 2797,
www.thebasement.com.au
Beach Road Hotel:
71 Beach Rd, Bondi Beach.
9130 7247,
www.myspace.com/beachroadbondi
Candy’s Apartment:
22 Bayswater Rd, Kings Cross.
9380 5600, www.candys.com.au
Club 77:
77 William St, Kings Cross.
9361 4981,
www.myspace.com/club_77
Cricketers Arms Hotel:
106 Fitzroy St, Surry Hills.
9331 3301
The Different Drummer:
185 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe.
9552 3406,
www.differentdrummer.com.au
The Duke Hotel:
148 Enmore Rd, Enmore.
9519 1935, www.duke-hotel.com
Empire Hotel:
32 Darlinghurst Rd, Kings Cross.
9360 7531, empirehotel.net
Enmore Theatre:
130 Enmore Rd, Newtown.
9550 3666,
www.enmoretheatre.com.au
Excelsior Hotel:
64 Foveaux St, Surry Hills.
9211 4945,
www.excelsiorhotel.com.au
The Factory Theatre:
105 Victoria Rd, Enmore.
www.factorytheatre.com.au
Friend in Hand Pub:
58 Cowper St, Glebe. 9660 2326,
www.friendinhand.com.au
Fringe Bar:
106 Oxford St, Paddington.
9360 5443, www.thefringe.com.au
Gaelic Theatre:
64 Devonshire St, Surry Hills.
9211 1687, www.thegaelic.com
Gaslight Inn:
278 Crown St, Darlinghurst.
9360 6746
The Harold Park Hotel:
70A Ross St, Glebe.
9660 4745,
www.haroldparkhotel.com.au
Hopetoun Hotel:
416 Bourke St, Surry Hills.
9361 5257,
www.myspace.com/hopetounhotel
Lansdowne Hotel:
2-6 City Rd, Chippendale.
9211 2325
The Laugh Garage:
Cnr Church and Market St,
Parramatta. 8883 1111,
www.thelaughgarage.com
The Loft:
University of Technology,
15 Broadway, Sydney. 9514 2000,
www.myspace.com/utsloftbar
Manning Bar:
Lvl 1, Manning House,
Manning Rd,
University of Sydney.
1800 013 201,
www.manningbar.com
Mars Lounge:
16 Wentworth Ave, Surry Hills.
9267 6440,
www.marslounge.com.au
Melt Bar:
12 Kellett St, Kings Cross.
9380 6060,www.meltbar.com.au
Metro Theatre:
624 George St, Sydney.
9550 3666,
www.metrotheatre.com.au
The Nags Head Hotel:
162 St Johns Rd, Glebe.
9660 1591,
www.nagshead.com.au
Newtown Theatre:
Cnr King St and Bray St.
9519 5081,
www.newtowntheatre.com.au
The Oatley Hotel:
8 Oatley Ave, Oatley.
9580 1117,
www.oatleyhotel.com.au
Opera Bar:
Lower Concourse Lvl, Sydney
Opera House, Sydney.
9247 1666,
www.operabar.com.au
Oxford Art Factory:
38-46 Oxford St, Darlinghurst.
9332 3711,
www.oxfordartfactory.com
Rag & Famish:
199 Miller St, North Sydney.
9955 1257,
www.ragandfamish.com.au
The Roxbury Hotel:
182 St Johns Rd, Glebe.
9692 0822,
www.roxbury.com.au
Roundhouse:
University of New South Wales,
Anzac Pde, Kensington.
9385 7784,
www.unswroundhouse.com
Ruby Rabbit:
231 Oxford St, Darlinghurst.
9332 3197,
www.rubyrabbit.com.au
The Sound Lounge:
and City Rd, Chippendale.
9351 7940,
www.seymour.usyd.edu.au
Sandringham Hotel:
9557 1254,
www.sando.com.au
Sapphire Suite:
2 Kellet St, Kings Cross.
9331 0058,
www.sapphiresuite.com
South Sydney Juniors:
558A Anzac Pde, Kingsford.
9349 7555,
www.southsjuniors.org.au
Spectrum:
34 Oxford St, Darlinghurst.
1800 438 849 (moshtix),
www.pashpresents.com
Star Bar:
600 George St, Sydney.
9267 7827,
www.starbar.com.au
The Vanguard:
1800 438 849 (moshtix),
www.thevanguard.com.au
World Bar:
24 Bayswater Rd, Kings Cross.
9357 2755,
www.theworldbar.com.au
The White Horse:
381-385 Crown St, Surry Hills.
8333 9999,
www.thewhitehorse.com.au
W H AT ’ S O N
FOR THE KIDS
Carols by the Tree
Sydney’s finest a cappella groups
perform traditional carols live in
this series of family concerts.
Until 24 Dec.
Darling Harbour Convention
Centre Forecourt. Free.
Christmas Craft and
Storytimes
Keep the kids busy with this series
of free storytime sessions and craft
activities.
Until 18 Dec.
Various City of Sydney libraries.
Free. See www.cityofsydney.nsw.
gov.au/library
Jeral Puppets
A series of puppet shows to
delight young children: Pirates Ahoy!
(for children aged three to nine)
and Froggy Tales (for children aged
two to five years).
Until 9 Dec.
Puppeteria Theatre, 48 Carrington
Rd, Randwick. $10-13. 9371 7328,
www.puppeteria.com
GALLERIES & MUSEUMS
EXHIBITION: SPOOKY ACTION AT A DISTANCE
BY ANGELA BENNETTS
It’s time for a confession. I am obsessed with all
things Japanese, excluding wasabi peas and
whaling. And so is Amelia Groom, the curator of
the upcoming video art show at Black & Blue
gallery entitled Spooky action at a Distance.You
may recognise Amelia’s name as Arts Editor in the
pages of this here paper, and we’re so excited
about her latest venture.
Can you explain the title of this show?
It is a phrase taken from a letter Einstein wrote
to his lifelong friend Max Born, the Nobel Prize
winning atomic physicist who shall be
remembered as grandfather to quantum
mechanics and to Olivia Newton-John (whose
plea, “Let’s get into physical” probably had nothing
to do with physics). Basically Einstein wasn’t too
happy with quantum theory in its current form; he
felt it went against his own theory of Locality and,
he said, it, “Cannot be reconciled with the idea
that physics should represent a reality in space
and time, free from spooky action at a distance.” I
like the idea of Albert Einstein in a theoretical
pickle over quantum mechanics, and I like the
word spooky.
What does it have to do with the artists in
the show?
Possibly very little. Really I want the artists to
stand on their own rather than be blanketed by
this phrase, but there is a loose running theme of
action and physicality in the works, from the
movements of the anonymous KATHY dancers or
Kiiiiiii performers to the way Yukihiro Taguchi
invests floorboards and furniture with
choreographed movement, the electrically
manipulated body movement of Daito Manabe,
the more subtle kinetic movements in Tetsushi
Higashino’s highly restrained series of works, or
the banal domestic action of vacuuming
transported to fantastical worlds by Ine wo Ueru
hitu.There’s also the idea of geographic and
cultural distance, and Japan being seen this
perplexing and eccentric faraway place of
mysterious action.
You just returned from a residency in
Japan.What kind of arts scene did you
encounter over there?
20
An exciting but kind of dispersed one that takes a
bit of time to start to penetrate.There’s so much
in Tokyo, I guess a good place to start is with
some of the new independent spaces, such as
Magical Artroom and Gallery ?M, which are doing
some really interesting things. I was struck by how
collaborative everything is - there are so many
joint ventures across various fields and the act of
working as part of something bigger than yourself
is really valued.Yokohama is an interesting city for
contemporary art, just 40 minutes out of Tokyo it
has some of the most exciting new spaces and
artistic communities.
What interests you about ‘video art’? I
know you have a gripe with the term ‘timebased art’; but is ‘video art’ any more
accurate?
I did say that I thought ‘time based art’ was a
vague and slightly annoying term. Actually most of
the artists in this show are not strictly video
artists - I’ve included dancers, programmers,
musicians, installation artists - these just happen
to be some works on video, either created as
video art works or, in some cases, as
documentation of something else. But yes video
can be an interesting medium, I think there is still
a lot of things to be explored with it, especially
the live and/or interactive possibilities.
How does the website initiative ‘Big in
Japan’ factor into this project? Can you tell
us a little about that?
The website www.biginjapan.com.au was launched
six months ago, as part of an initiative by Ksubi
for Kirin.The idea was to create a platform for
cultural exchange between Japan and Australia, so
I use it to profile a broad range of things from
contemporary Japan including art, fashion, film,
architecture, music, design and so on.The
exhibition is part of the first series of Big in Japan
events, including a huge event at CarriageWorks
on Wednesday 2nd December featuring some
amazing live acts who are coming out from, of all
places, Japan.
Spooky Action at a Distance is presented by
Big in Japan, a cultural exchange program
created by Ksubi for Kirin. Dec 4-19, Black &
Blue Gallery, 302/267-271 Cleveland Street
Redfern, blackandblue.com.au
Annandale Galleries
Gunybi Ganambarr until 5 Dec
Tues – Sat 11am-5pm.
9552 1699, 110 Trafalgar St,
Annandale.
www.annandalegalleries.com.au
Art Gallery Of New South
Wales
40 Years: Kaldor Public Art Projects until
14 Feb
Contemporary Collection until 14 Feb
The Dreamers until 18 Dec
Dobell Prize for Drawing until 21 Jan
From the Archive of Rubery Bennett
until 18 Dec
Garden and Cosmos until 26 Jan
Rupert Bunny:Artist in Paris until 21
Feb
Tatzu Nishi:War and Peace and In
Between until 14 Feb
10am–5pm, 7 days a week.
Art After Hours – every Wed until
9pm.
Art Gallery Rd,The Domain, Sydney.
9225 1744,
www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au
At The Vanishing Point
Gilbert Grace:Trauma Porn until 20
Dec
Thur 10am-8pm, Fri 10am-6pm,
Sat – Sun 10am-5pm.
565 King St, Newtown. 9519 2340,
www.atthevanishingpoint.com.au
Blender Gallery
Through the Eyes of a Muse until 24
Dec
Tue – Sat 10am-6pm.
16 Elizabeth St, Paddington.
9380 7080, www.blender.com.au
Breenspace
Emma White: Study until 19 Dec
Joyce Hinterding:Aura until 19 Dec
289 Young St,Waterloo.
9690 0555, www.breenspace.com
Conny Dietzschold Gallery &
Multiple Box Sydney
Maximal Minimal until 19 Dec
Tue – Sat 11am-5pm,
Sun 11am-3pm.
2 Danks St,Waterloo. 9690 0215,
connydietzscholdegallery.com
Craft NSW
Riches of the Earth until 26 Jul
Mon – Sun, 9.30am-5.30pm.
Craft NSW, 104 George St.
9241 5825,
www.artsandcraftsnsw.com.au
Customs House
Peter Murphy: ModelCity until 31 Jan
Peter Solness: Light Play until 31 Jan
Mon – Fri 8am-12am,
Sat 10am-12am, Sun 11am-5pm.
31 Alfred St, Circular Quay.
9242 8551,
www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au
/customshouse
Darren Knight Gallery
Joanna Braithwaite until 12 Dec
840 Elizabeth St, Waterloo.
9699 5353,
www.darrenknightgallery.com
Depot Gallery II
Design Centre Enmore End-of-Year
Exhibition: Allegory until 5 Dec
2 Danks St, Waterloo.
www.2danksstreet.com.au
ESP Gallery
Three Artists: Materials, Materialism
and Contemporary Culture
until 6 Dec
Thu – Fri 3pm-6pm.
Sat – Sun 11am-4pm.
228 Illawarra Rd, Marrickville.
www.esprejects.com.au
Gaffa Gallery
Mixed Dozen until 8 Dec
Mon – Fri 12pm-6pm,
Sat 11am-6pm.
1/7 Randle St, Surry Hills.
9281 1103, www.gaffa.com.au
Gallery 9
Last Show: Clare Milledge, Simon
Kennedy and others until 23 Dec
Wed – Sat 11am-6pm.
9 Darley St, Darlinghurst.
9380 9909, www.gallery9.com.au
Gallery Adagio
Gifted 09 11 Dec – 10 Jan
Tue – Sun 11am-6pm.
91 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe.
9552 2833,
www.galleryadagio.com
Gallery Red
Two: Rachel Carroll, Anthony
Cummins, Margaret Carey and
others until 31 Dec
Mon – Fri 9am-5pm,
Sat 10am-3pm.
Shop 11, 131-145 Glebe Point Rd,
Glebe. 9692 0030,
www.galleryred.com.au
Gig Gallery
Sydney College of the Arts Glass
Studio until 12 Dec
Sun 1pm-5pm.
70A Glebe Point Rd, Glebe.
9660 2785, www.giggallery.com
Global Gallery
John Scott:Telesma until 6 Dec
Nik de Masi: Open Spaces until 6
Dec
Rebeccah Dent: Fragility until 6 Dec
Wed – Sat 11am–6pm,
Sun 12pm–4pm.
5 Comber St, Paddington.
9360 5728,
www.globalgallery.com.au
Harrison Galleries
Hilton Owen: System until 18 Dec
John Sheehy: Sydney Harbour: An
Undercoat until 18 Dec
Robert Delves:The Art Rebel
until 18 Dec
Tue – Fri 10am-6pm,
Sat 10am-5pm.
294 Glenmore Rd, Paddington.
9380 7100,
www.harrisongalleries.com.au
James Dorahy Project Space
Lit Up Like a Christmas Tree (Volume
IV) until 13 Dec
Sun 11am-5pm.
Suite 4, 1st floor, 111 Macleay St,
Potts Point. 9358 2585,
www.jamesdorahy.com.au
Justice & Police Museum
Femme Fatale until 18 Apr
Mon – Fri 10am-5pm, daily in
school holidays.
Cnr Phillip & Albert St, Circular
Quay. 9252 1144
Macleay Museum
Macleay Reworked permanent
Makarr-garma: Aboriginal collections
from a Yolnu perspective until 15 May
Mon – Fri 10am-4.30pm,
Sun 12pm-4pm.
Gosper Ln, near the Footbridge St
entrance to the University of
Sydney. 9036 5253
Meyer Gallery
Saltwater: Sydney Pools until 31 Dec
Thur – Sat 11am-6pm,
Sun 12pm-4pm.
269 Bourke St, Darlinghurst.
9380 8014,
www.meyergallery.com.au
Museum of Contemporary Art
Almanac:The Gift of Ann Lewis 8 Dec
– 18 Apr
MCA Collection: New Acquisitions
until 31 Jan
Take Your Time: Olafur Eliasson
10 Dec – 11 Apr
10am-5pm daily.
140 George St,The Rocks.
9245 2400, www.mca.com.au
Museum of Sydney
Up the Cross: Rennie Ellis and
Wesley Stacey
Ellis and Stacey’s work harks
back to early-70s Kings Cross, a
summer of free love in a part of
Sydney better known for
purchased love.This exhibition
reveals moments of joy and
pathos, the surface glitter and
the backstage, providing a
fascinating glimpse of life up the
Cross.
9.30am-5pm daily.
37 Phillip St, Sydney. 9251 5988,
www.hht.net.au
Nicholson Museum
Egypt: Life and Death in the Black
Land until 18 Feb
Mon – Fri 10am-4.30pm, Sun
12pm-4pm. Southern entrance to
the Quadrangle, the University of
Sydney. www.usyd.edu.au/museums
Peloton
Frances Meredith Lynch until 19
December
One After 09 until 19 December
Thur – Wed 1pm-6pm, Fri 1.30pm6pm, Sat 1pm-6pm. 19 & 25
Meagher St, Chippendale. 9690
2601, www.peloton.net.au
Powerhouse Museum
Artefact H10515 until Aug
Living in a Sensory World: Stories from
People with Blindness and Low Vision
until 1 Jan
10am-5pm daily. 500 Harris St,
Ultimo. 9217 0111,
www.powerhousemuseum.com
Robin Gibson Gallery
Small is the New Big until 19 Dec
Tue – Sat 11am-6pm. 278 Liverpool
St, Darlinghurst. 9331 6692,
www.robingibson.net
Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery
Daniel Boyd: Freetown until 5 Dec
TV Moore until 5 Dec
Tue – Fri 10am-6pm, Sat 11am6pm. 8 Soudan Lane, Paddington.
9331 1919,
www.roslynoxley9.com.au
Sarah Cottier Gallery
Julie Fragar:The Oracles until 12 Dec
Wed – Sat 11am-5pm. 3 Neild Ave,
Paddington. 9356 3305,
www.sarahcottiergallery.com
TAP Gallery
Steve McLaren until 6 Dec
Daily 12pm-6pm. 278 Palmer St,
Darlinghurst. 9361 0440,
www.tapgallery.org.au
TALKS & EVENTS
Australian Poetry Slam 09
Tortured poets have been battling
it out nationwide for the title of
Australian Poetry Slam winner, and
now we’re down to the final
challenge.
3 Dec.
Sydney Opera House, Circular
Quay, Sydney. $25. 9250 7777,
www.sl.nsw.gov.au/poetryslam
The Capitalism Delusion
In his new book, Bob Ellis argues
that capitalism, though allpervasive, has more in common
with some crackpot quasi-religious
MUSIC
[email protected]
THE BLACKEYED SUSANS REVEAL YOURSELF
Christmas has come early, complete
with a beautifully “wrapped” box and
gorgeous artwork courtesy of
Madeleine Stamer.This box-set
contains three CD’s and a DVD that
encompasses twenty years of a band
that formed in Perth from the ashes of
The Triffids and Chads Tree; played
cover versions of everything from
Prince and Hot Chocolate to Bruce
Sprinsteen and John Cale; and featured
two of Australia’s best voices.The
Blackeyed Susans have always been
about as far away from hip as you can
get, perennial outsiders doing their
own thing, eschewing fashions and fad;
and if this collection of fifty-five songs
tells you anything, it is the virtues of
such an approach. This One Eats Souls,
Don’t Call Yourself an Angel, No Direction
Home, Glory, Glory...I could list most all
the tunes here, and a few they have left
off.The third disc contains demo, live
and single versions of such treats as
State Trooper, Oceans of You and a
previously unreleased version of the
Hoodoo Gurus Zanzibar. Put a ribbon
around it and stick it under your tree
now. (CP)
DIAFRIX - CONCRETE JUNGLE
MC Momo and Azmarino are a
multicultural mixed bag, and they’ve
translated that into a debut mix-tape
of hip hop sounds from the dusty
heart of Africa and the sketchy streets
of Footscray. Time Will Tell opens with a
loungy, sauntering pace that can be
labelled:“Easy Listening with a
conscience”.That’s the first thing you
notice about Diafrix - their lyrics are
some of the most poignant I’ve heard
in Oz hip hop possibly because they’re
bringing their own refugee status and
displacement issues to the table.
Towards the middle they tinker with
the genre, bringing a Roots Manuva/feel
to ESL.Then, with an injection of
reggae, afro beat, old-school rap and
(oddly) 40s jump blues, it’s like they’re
slowly unravelling influences song by
song.The album’s centerpiece is
dedicated to the birthplace of hip hop
championed by the refrains of Mama
Africa (Djarabinge), which is almost a
saddening in its beauty. Fittingly, it ends
with the lazy ode to Marley,
Redemption. Diafrix have managed to
pay homage to their roots while
remaining contemporary; producing a
well-rounded, well-played album. (RK)
framework than with a rational
economic system. He’ll be talking it
out with Tony Abbott, with whom
he’ll be discussing capitalism, yes,
but also marriage, monarchism,
government intervention and
foreign wars.
3 Dec, 6.30pm for 7pm.
Gleebooks, 49 Glebe Point Rd,
Glebe. $7-10. 9660 2333,
www.gleebooks.com.au
Keepin’ it Real by Keepin’ it
Wrong
Maynard presents this hand-picked
collection of videos including
Moneyshot Theatre and Facebook
Failures in a night of music, clips and
trivia.
3 Dec, 7.30pm for 8pm.
Mu-Meson Archives, cnr Parramatta
Rd & Trafalgar St, Annandale. $10.
9517 2010, www.mumeson.org
FESTIVALS
Anode Festival
A genre-busting seasons of events
around Sydney and Melbourne,
connecting independent, local and
experimental artists in unique
spaces across the two cities.
Until 5 Dec.
Various venues.
www.anode2009.com/sydneyprogram.html
Festival of the Sun
Line up a date with Spiderbait,
Little Birdy,The Beautiful Girls,
Children Collide and Urthboy.
There’ll be camping, sunshine and
beaches on the side.
11 – 12 Dec.
Sundowner Breakwall Tourist Park.
$120. www.fotsun.com.au
Laneways by George
What do you get when you give
artists, landscape architects, poets
and a lawyer free rein over the city
CBD? Find out in this hidden
network of inter-connected
laneways and a series of eight sitespecific projects, including a
pocket-sized open-air cinema and
bar.
Until 31 Jan 2010.
Off George St, Sydney. Free.
Storylines
A month-long festival of
performing and visual arts.
Until 7 Dec.
Riverview College.
www.oiu.org.au/storylines.html
LIVE MUSIC
LEGENDS OF MOTORSPORT YEAH UH HUH
It is important -nay, imperative - that
one listens to the Legends as a stoner
band. Otherwise, the joke is lost.The
ridiculous lyrics will sound ridiculous
and the cock rock motifs will only
remind you of worse albums done
better.This is heavy rock and roll, via
the comedy-thrash stylings of the
Melvins.The songs are about thinks like
barbecues, taxis, homework, bugs.The
first audible lyric is “I can’t believe I
never used to like blue cheese.” But
the album is book-ended by an intro
and an outro, introducing the band,
letting you know it’s all a silly
performance.A heavy, silly
performance. In fact, Yeah Uh Huh
(their third full-length) has got to be
one of the heaviest non-metal albums
of the year, a title brought upon them
by their unique combination lowstrung guitars, Farfisa organ and
constant drum thrashing.Where the
tempo drops (not often), it drops only
to the level of a noodling metal jam.
Yeah Uh Huh has so much energy, your
headphones might blow up. But you
have to get the joke. (SM)
DAN SULTAN - GET OUT
WHILE YOU CAN
“Dare I say it / You have won my
heart”. Dan Sultan and friends are in
no rush. Picking and choosing when
to play live (in venues like the Famous
Spiegeltent) their 2006 debut
Homemade Biscuits was a knock-out.
So three years on Get Out While You
Can fits comfortably under the “much
anticipated” tag. Choosing to croon
his way in via some Goddess Love, and
following it with the Archie Roach
inspired Sorrowbound, the album is off
to a low-key yet insidious start.The
tempo of the album remain curious,
not really kicking into fifth gear and
letting the guitars and horns loose
until the second half with Crazy. But
then the gloves really come off and
the 50’s rocker Fear of Flying is pure
Eddie Corchran, while the album
closer Cadillac and a Mustang revives
the blue soul of Stax Records via
Fitzroy. Sultan and his right hand man
Scott Wilson (who writes or cowrites almost all the songs) are hitting
their groove, and when the Bran Nue
Dae hits screens Dan Sultan will be a
man in demand. Get in first. (CP)
For more album reviews go to www.altmedia.net.au
George Harrison, 1968, photo by Pattie Boyd
CD REVIEWS
MOVIEMICROS
Thursday 3 December
Extended Family – Macquarie Hotel
(free)
Resist the Thought, State of East
Longon,Three Faces West – Spectrum
($10-12)
Mr Wilson – Marble Bar (free)
Richie Spice – Manning Bar (TBA)
Three Oh Sees, Eddy Current
Suppression Ring, Straight Arrows,
Royal Headache – Annandale Hotel
($17)
The Whitlams – Sydney Opera
House ($35-89)
Friday 4 December
Gin Wigmore,The Cardinals – Gaelic
Theatre ($25)
The Holy Sea, Little Lovers, Catherine
Traicos – Excelsior Hotel ($12)
Kirk Burgess – Nag’s Head Hotel
(free)
Luke Escombe, Lanie Lane – Raval
($10-13)
Mr Laneous & the Family-Yah,
Olmecha Supreme, Pata Physics –
Beach Road Hotel (free)
Underground Lovers,The Devoted Few
– Annandale Hotel ($20)
Saturday 5 December
Dream Theatre – Hordern Pavilion
($129.90)
End of Yeah Folk Bash: Mothers of
EXHIBITION:
THROUGH THE EYES OF A MUSE
BY ANGELA BENNETTS
So often we gaze upon the eyes of a muse - not
through.They have come to signify beauty or style
alone, when originally in Greek mythology they
were thought as the source of knowledge.
Interestingly, the etymological root of muse is
similar to that of music - where their inspirational
force is most often felt. Pattie Boyd, the ‘Queen of
the Sixties’, a woman over whom two great
musicians (George Harrison and Eric Clapton)
duelled, is a muse par examplar. But more than
that, she is a source of knowledge on an era
swirling with sex, spirituality and the burgeoning
sense that anything was possible. From her unusual
childhood in Kenya to her fashion modelling and
Intention and others – Gaelic Club
($15)
Firehouse, Hurricane Sound,
Judgement, Mickey Glamour –
Hermann’s ($12)
Kes Band – Spectrum (TBA)
McGann Grabowsky Quartet – The
Sound Lounge ($15-25)
Mono, Laura,The Dead Sea –
Manning Bar ($39)
Ninetynine, Lee Memorial – The Red
Rattler Theatre ($10)
Thee Oh Sees, Naked on the Vague,
Holy Balm – Oxford Art Factory
($12)
Sunday 6 December
The Bird’s Robe Collective, Closure in
Moscow, Squid, Pirate – Annandale
Hotel ($17)
Circle, Jumpin’ John Seagull –
Excelsior Hotel ($8)
Guttermouth – Manning Bar
($28-33)
Michael Garnett – Nag’s Head Hotel
(free)
Serenik – Spectrum (free)
Unforgettable – Newtown RSL Club
(free)
Monday 7 December
Bernie – The Observer Hotel (free)
Candlesnuffer,The Splinter Orchestra,
Clocks & Clouds – Serial Space (free)
Carla Werner – The Vanguard
($18-20)
Dave Halls – The Basement ($20)
Tuesday 8 December
Andy Golledge – Sandringham Hotel
(free)
Daniel Weltinger Trio – Café Bondi
(free)
intimate connection with the world of rock n roll,
this is a snapshot of a time that, at first, she was
hesitant to revisit, “I didn’t want to open boxes of
accumulated photos that I had taken over the
years; I believed they would remind me of times of
both sadness and happiness that I wasn’t ready to
look at.” Marking her first solo exhibition in the
southern hemisphere, this collection of 50
fascinating photographs is accompanied by her
recent autobiography Wonderful Today. On
December 5th you will have the chance to meet
the muse face-to-face as she signs her books
nestled amidst what she calls the, “frame of
something wonderful that I have observed.”
Nov 26-Dec 24, Blender Gallery, 16 Elizabeth
St Paddington, 9380 7080, blender.com.au
The Grey Man Sings for Freedom,
Lena Cruz, Brett Robin Wood, Evi Jean,
Elouise – The Vanguard ($28-30)
Yuki Kumagai, John Mackie, Marty
Mooney – Hernandez Café (free)
Wednesday 9 December
Crocodiles, Skull Squadron, Jack
Ladder and others – Oxford Art
Factory ($20)
Jager Uprising Christmas Party:
Children Collide – Annandale Hotel
(free)
Patrick Wolf, Danimals – Metro
Theatre ($47)
The Slowdowns – Sandringham
Hotel (free)
Tina Harrod – The Vanguard
($22-25)
Thursday 10 December
Fergus Brown, Sherlock’s Daughter,
Richard in Your Mind and others –
Oxford Art Factory ($12)
Kitty Daisy & Lewis, Dan Kelly –
Manning Bar ($35)
Lime Spiders, Death Mattel,
Thundabox – Sandringham Hotel
($15-20)
Mr Wilson – Marble Bar (free)
Off the Streets Benefit Concert: Lions
at Your Door, Ghoul, Bird Automatic,
Winter People – Annandale Hotel
($12)
Renee Cassar,The Former Love
Pirates,The Ivies – Oxford Art
Factory ($10)
Skunkhour – Metro Theatre
($35.50-40)
Friday 11 December
Animal Collective, Bachelorette –
Enmore Theatre ($61.60)
Ben Romalis, Brian Campeau,Tim
Sladden – Raval ($12)
Dust Tones – Beach Road Hotel
(free)
Lord, Alarum,The Darker Half,
Backyard Mortuary – Gaelic Theatre
($15)
Mick Thomas & the Sure Thing,
Chuck’s Wagon – The Vanguard
($22-25)
Sampson & Sharkey – Nag’s Head
Hotel (free)
Saturday 12 December
Akron/Family,The Paper Scissors, Oh
Ye Denver Birds – Annandale Hotel
($38)
Bachelorette, Pikelet – Spectrum
($12)
The Church, Belles Will Ring, Kicks –
The Factory Theatre ($32.50)
Glenn Whitehall – Nag’s Head Hotel
(free)
Inheritors, Sailmaker – Oxford Art
Factory (free)
Lamb of God, DevilDriver, Shadows
Fall – The Big Top at Luna Park
($78.70)
Tinpan Orange – Notes Live ($15)
Sunday 13 December
Black Cab – CAD Factory (TBA)
Bruce Kulick,The Next, Six Hours –
Gaelic Theatre ($44)
Heavy Trash, Super Wild Horses,
Straight Arrows – Manning Bar
($38-45)
Jordie Lane, Lanie Lane, Shady Lane –
The Vanguard ($15)
Lamb of God, DevilDriver, Shadows
Fall – The Big Top at Luna Park
($78.70)
21
MOVIEMICROS
THE FRENCH KISSERS
ADAM A heart-warming
“dramedy” about an Aspergersafflicted engineer (Hugh Dancy)
grappling with the demands of a
relationship after falling for his
broken-hearted neighbour Beth
(Rose Byrne). Director Max Mayer
hits the feel-good spot without
reducing Adam’s disability to a
comic quirk. (LRu)
AMREEKA Muna and her son,
Fadi escape the hostilities of the
West Bank for a new life in
America. However, the dream life
doesn’t come easily.While Amreeka
probably won’t have any lasting
effect, its understated study of
displacement is interesting enough
to capture your attention and
empathy. (MP)
AN EDUCATION Sixteen-yearold Jenny is fulfilling her father’s
dream for her to go to Oxford
University until she meets a much
older David, with whom her
daydreams are tangible. Nick
Hornby’s adaptation of Lynn
Barber’s memoir is a seductive
miseducation of an adolescent life.
(KS)
A SERIOUS MAN The Coen
brothers have produced another
gem with A Serious Man. Following
feckless physics professor Larry
Gopnick’s struggles with family,
work and marriage, the film is a
masterly black comedy exploring
questions of faith, family, mortality,
academia and everything in
between. Hilarious and profound,
this is one not to be missed. (KB)
ASTRO BOY With astounding
CGI aesthetics, honest humour,
and an empowering story, this
rendition of the legendary Astro
Boy story cannot be missed. (AEB)
BEAUTIFUL KATE For her
directorial debut, Rachel Ward
channels Picnic at Hanging Rock
with a tragic, gothic tale of family
dysfunction, death and redemption
set against the isolated outback.
Led by Ben Mendelsohn, Beautiful
Kate is flawlessly executed, jarring
and totally unforgettable. (RK)
BLESSED Although the plot
seems contrived at times, it
captures the emotional realities of
modern Australian families and the
complex relationships between
mothers and children.While it can
22
be confronting, the film shows that
beauty exists amongst tragedy and
people can rediscover what was
seemingly lost. (MP)
CAPITALISM: A LOVE
STORY Michael Moore point
his imposing finger at capitalism
and American uber-companies in
his latest doco.This is the usual
Moore fare, it may reek of
propagandist agenda, but at least
here it’s the right agenda. (KB)
CASE 39 sees social worker
Emily fight to save a girl from her
abusive parents, only to discover
the situation is more dangerous
than she expected. Ultimately,
there’s enough here for
horror/thriller fans, but for
everyone else there isn’t much
point. (AG)
CHE PART ONE & TWO A
marathon two-part epic charting
the rise (and eventual fall) of the
rebel Argentinean doctor Che
Guevara.The madcap
determination and sheer
charisma of Benicio del Toro’s
Che, and the visual beauty of the
Cuban landscapes, are compelling
enough to carry the extreme
length of this film. (SM)
COLD SOULS In Sophie
Barthes’ existential farce Cold
Souls, abject actor Paul Giamatti
(playing himself) has his soul
removed to escape the
emotional demands of his latest
role. Also starring David
Strathairn and Dina Korzun, few
films are this funny or pensive.
(JH)
CORALINE There is no squeak
of Disney in this so-called ‘family
film’. Darker than the witching
hour, with more surreal
flourishes than a Dali and a hardknuckled moral lesson to boot
(be careful what you wish for!),
it’s a fantastical modern fable for
all. (AB)
THE COVE Debut director
Louis Psihoyos has delivered a
film that pulls no punches with
all-adventure, call-to-arms doco
The Cove. Pitting himself and his
crack team of divers, adventurers
and high-tech gadgets, he
exposes horrific realities of
dolphin fishing in small-town
Japan. (KB)
Remember the awkward just-hit-puberty
years when you were totally consumed
by the opposite sex – particularly when
you were going to talk to/pash/shag
them? The director of The French Kissers
does. And he puts us right back into the
classroom so we can smell the BO,
witness the whitehead cycles and taste
the swapped saliva. Squeamish yet?
Graphic artist Riad Sattouf transformed
his cartoons into an uncompromising
cultural milieu filled with average-looking
outcasts like Herve and the awesomelymulleted Camel who, without their
sexual urges, are nothing. But unlike
those American viginity-losing banalities,
this film loses the clichés and ups the
masturbation quota making it more
clumsy, real and shocking – not to
mention hilarious. Completely left of
centre, this underdog is the funniest
gross film of the year. (RK)
DEPARTURES Oscar winning
Departures gives us access into
the Japanese ritual of
encoffination. It transports you
into someone else’s life and
world, as only the best stories
and films can do. (KS)
FUNNY PEOPLE Even with a
Comedy Gala’s worth of cameos,
the scarily funny Eric Bana, Judd
Apatow’s travelling circus, filthy
language and the expectation of
hilarity, Funny People isn’t
constantly funny. But this amusing
look at human behaviour is
constantly excellent. (RK)
GENOVA The grieving process
is beautifully visualised in this
slow-paced film about a widower
(Colin Firth) who copes with his
wife’s death by relocating his
family to Italy. Sun dappled
location shots are offset by
strong performances, but Genova
feels somewhat shallow. (LRu)
G-FORCE I’m not sure if GFORCE was meant to be a film
for kids or adults but it fails to
impress on both counts. The
writing is lazy, painfully
predictable and lacks any
measure of imagination expected
in this genre of filmmaking. (KS)
IMAGINE THAT Eddie Murphy
plays just one role in this family
comedy. I had to make that clear
for anyone, who like me, are not
amused by his screen hogging
tactics.This film works on clichés
but succeeds by not revealing too
much.And who says happy
endings are out of fashion? (KS)
IN SEARCH OF
BEETHOVEN may not be the
action blockbuster of the year,
but it is certainly an educational
and musically rich two hours that
gives a real insight into one of the
greatest composers of all time.
(KB)
MAO’S LAST DANCER This
is Communist China’s Cinderella
with Li Cunxin as the peasant
made famous “ballerino”. Bruce
Beresford’s rough-and-ready
direction leaves the bestselling
story and convincing cast to
carry the film.Although canonical,
it’s well-executed (much like the
dancing within) and will leave you
soggy-eyed and inspired. (RK)
$9.99 If the word ‘claymation’
conjures up little more for you than
vague memories of Bump in the
Night, you’re missing out – if not on
all-out enlightenment, then certainly
on a beautiful exploration of urban
life. (ST)
PAPER HEART Starring indie
darlings du jour Michael Cera and
Charlyne Yi this is a charming slice
of Americana, with some ‘quest for
love’ a la mode. Overtly 50%
documentary, 50% pre-planned
drama, you don’t feel ripped off by
the romantic storyline, but neither
do you feel reeled in. Nonetheless,
it’s full of heart. (AB)
PONYO The latest Hayao
Miyazaki animation dives deep
beneath the ocean’s surface for a
tale based loosely on The Little
Mermaid. Some delightful moments
are found, but overall we drown a
little in the cute. (AB)
THE PRIVATE LIVES OF
PIPPA LEE The enigmatic title
character (Robin Wright Penn) is
forced by a drastic change in
lifestyle to reflect on her
dysfunctional upbringing.This film
works best when it trades
melodrama for oddball humour.
(JH)
PUSH Set in the deadly world of
psychic espionage, Nick Gant – a
second-generation “mover”, is being
chased by a deadly government
organisation hell-bent on using
psychics to help assemble the
greatest army known to man.The
poor man’s X-Men. (LR)
SHORTS The latest from Robert
Rodriguez, it offers up light kids
entertainment with a good message
at heart. Following chaotic events
ensuing after the discovery of a
magic wishing rock, Shorts won’t be
the most original film you’ll see this
year, but has some good laughs.
(KB)
SISTER SMILE Cecile de France
delivers an unmissable performance
in Stijin Coninx’s latest film Sister
Smile (soeur SOURIRE), based on the
life of Jeannine Deckers, one of the
highest selling artists of all time.
Deckers, who lived through a stifled
adolescence, a Dominican convent,
worldwide fame, financial and
personal hardship and early
feminism, makes for a fascinating
PLANET 51
“They’re gonna eat our brains for
dinner!” The strangest thing about
the alien in Planet 51, is that he’s
human and not all that fussed
about brains.When Charles
‘Chuck’ Baker’s spacecraft lands in
Glipforg, he expects he’s the next
Neil Armstrong of new uncharted
territory but finds out how very
wrong he is. He meets Lem, the
15 year old ‘alien’ and they
become unlikely friends as Lem
helps Chuck find his way back to
his spacecraft. References to
infamous Sci-Fi films (ET, Aliens,
Star-Wars to name a few) will
keep the adults entertained and
although Planet 51 isn’t of the
same calibre of recent animated
releases such as Coraline, Ponyo
and Up, it is still amusing. (NG)
story, done justice by a magnificent
performance. (KB)
SORORITY ROW Despite a
mixed script, some B grade acting
and a predictable plot, this latest
film in the ‘slasher’ market still
manages to create a few scares for
fans of the genre who are sure to
enjoy the bloody tale. (AG)
SURROGATES As it stands, this
is an enjoyable sci-fi thriller.
However clocking in at just 88
minutes the whole thing feels a tad
rushed and you’re sadly left
wondering what could have been
with an extra 30 minutes. (AG)
THE BOYS ARE BACK
Director Scott Hicks of Shine fame
returns to his native South Australia
to deliver a ponderous, funny and
deeply moving exploration of
fatherhood, starring Clive Owen.
Heightened by the rugged, idyllic
beauty of the countryside, it is a
requiem to grief, a cry for
redemption and an ode to life.
(MG)
THE INVENTION OF LYING
is set in a world where no one has
ever been dishonest. Life is hard for
struggling writer Mark Bellison
(Ricky Gervais), until he becomes
the first person to ever tell a lie.A
flat and at times incoherent
comedy. (ABo)
THE TAKING OF PELHAM
123 When Travolta (with a
Chopper mo) takes over a subway
train and demands ten mill, it’s
Denzel’s pot-bellied dispatcher who
gets the ransom call. Not as sharp
as some due to Tony Scott cheese,
but worth it for the Travolta vs
Washington title match. (RK)
THE TOPP TWINS An utterly
endearing biopic laying bare the
lives of kiwi entertainment icons:
the Topp Twins. Funny, touching and
inspiring portrait of the all singing,
all dancing lesbian twin sisters. Go
see this and let them yodel their
way into your hearts. (ABr)
VAN DIEMEN’S LAND This is
the brutal and tummy-turning tale
of Australia’s other most notorious
criminal;Alexander Pearce, a man
who led eight convicts to their
grisly demise in Tasmania, 1822.
Trading more in atmosphere than
character development, this is an
oddly beautiful study of cannibalism
YOUR LOCAL
SCREENS
BONDI JUNCTION
GREATER UNION
Level 7 & 8 Westfield Shopping
Town, 500 Oxford St, Bondi
Junction, 9300 1555,
www.eventcinemas.com.au
BROADWAY
HOYTS CINEMAS
Broadway Shopping
Centre, Broadway
Ph: 9211 1911
www.hoyts.com.au
CHAUVEL CINEMA
Cnr Oxford Street & Oatley
Road, Paddington 9361 5465
DENDY NEWTOWN
261 King St. Newtown
Ph: 9550 5699
www.dendy.com.au/newtown
DENDY OPERA QUAYS
Shop 9, 2 East Circular Quay,
Sydney, 9247 3800
EASTGARDENS HOYTS
Westfield Shopping Centre, 152
Bunnerong Rd, Eastgardens,
8347 5900,
ENTERTAINMENT
QUARTER HOYTS &
LA PREMIERE
Building 206, ph. 9332 1300
Cinema Paris
Building 215, ph. 9332 1633
Entry via Lang Road on Bent
Street, Moore Park,
www.hoyts.com.au
GEORGE ST
ENTERTAINMENT
COMPLEX
505 George St. Sydney
Ph: 9273 7431
MARKET CITY
READING CINEMA
Level 3, 9-13 Hay St,
Haymarket, 9280 1202,
www.readingcinemas.com.au
PALACE ACADEMY
TWIN
3a Oxford Street, Paddington,
9361 4453
PALACE NORTON ST
99 Norton St. Leichhardt
Ph: 9550 0122
www.palacecinemas.com.au
PALACE VERONA
17 Oxford Street, Paddington,
9360 6099
RANDWICK RITZ
CINEMA
39-47 St. Pauls St Randwick,
9399 5722,
www.ritzcinema.com.au
and the inhuman things humans are
capable of. (AB)
WHATEVER WORKS
Improbable romance ensues when
Larry David’s misanthropic quantum
physicist offers a ditzy-butendearing Southern beauty queen a
bed in the big bad city. No one
believes this somewhat dated Allen
fairy tale for a second but that’s
hardly the point. Equal parts silly
and delightful. (SM)
THE YOUNG VICTORIA
Emily Blunt and Rupert Friend
radiate warmth and chemistry in
this period drama about the
early years of Britain’s longest
reigning monarch. Historical facts
are glossed over, but nothing is
spared in creating a visual feast
with intricate costume design
and lavish sets. (LRu)
FREEWILLASTROLOGY
BY ROB BREZSNY
뵺
ARIES (March 21-April 19):
When Carolee Schneeman
was a kid, her extravagant adoration
of nature earned her the nickname
“mad pantheist.” Later, during her
career as a visual artist, she
described her relationship with the
world this way: “I assume the
senses crave sources of maximum
information, that the eye benefits by
exercise, stretch, and expansion
towards materials of complexity and
substance.” I hope that you’re
attracted to that perspective right
now, Aries. To be in most productive
alignment with the cosmic rhythms,
you should be in a state of nearly
ecstatic openness, hungry to be
stretched — like a mad pantheist.
뵻
TAURUS (April 20-May
20): “Dear Rob: Last night
my son and I were star-gazing.
When we focused on the
constellation Cassiopeia, an owl
started hooting. Then a brilliant
shooting star zipped by as a huge
bat flew right over our heads. Was
this a bad omen? Bats are creepy —
associated with vampires. And in
Greek mythology Cassiopeia got
divine punishment because she
bragged that she and her daughter
were more beautiful than the sea
god’s daughters. But I don’t know,
maybe this blast of odd events was
a good omen. Owls are symbols of
wisdom and shooting stars are
lucky, right? What do you think? Are
we blessed or cursed? -Spooked
Taurus.” Dear Spooked: The question
of whether it’s good or bad luck is
irrelevant. Here’s what’s important:
You Tauruses are in a phase when
the hidden workings of things will be
shown to you — the mysterious
magic that’s always bubbling below
the surface but that is usually not
visible.
‫ﺐ‬
GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
The week ahead will be a
ripe time to pull off magic reversals.
May I suggest that you try to
transform dishwater greys into
sparkling golds? Or how about
recycling the dead energy of a lost
cause in such a way as to generate
raw fuel for a fresh start? I’m
confident, Gemini, that you’ll be able
to discover treasure hidden in the
trash, and that you’ll find a way to
unleash the creative zeal that has
been trapped inside polite
numbness. Now ponder this riddle,
please: Do you think there’s any
mystical significance in the fact that
the word “stressed” is “desserts”
spelled backwards?
‫ﺑ‬
CANCER (June 21-July
22): Lately you remind me
of the person Robert Hass describes
in his poem “Time and Materials”:
“someone falling down and getting
up and running and falling and
getting up.” I’m sending you my
compassion for the times you fall
down, and my admiration for the
times you get up, and my excitement
for the times you run. It has probably
become clear to you by now that the
falling down isn’t a shameful thing
to be cursed, but rather is an
instrumental part of the learning
process that is teaching you
marvelous secrets about getting
back up and running.
뵾
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): “I
burn for no reason, like a
lantern in daylight,” writes poet
Joseph Lease. I think that’s a
succinct formulation of one of your
central issues, Leo. Burning for no
reason, like a lantern in the
daylight, can be the cause of either
failure or success for you,
depending on subtle differences of
emphasis. This is how it can be
failure: When you’re mindlessly and
wastefully burning through your
prodigious reserves of fuel without
any concern for the benefits it may
provide you and others. This is how
it can be success: When you are
exuberant and self-disciplined in
shining your light and radiating your
warmth just because it feels so
good and so right and so healthy,
and without any thought about
whether it’s “useful” to anyone.
뵿
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
In one of his short poems,
John Averill (twitter.com/wiremesa)
describes a scene that I think
captures the essence of your
current astrological omens: “Today
is the day of the photo of moonrise
over Havana in a book on a shelf in
the snowbound cabin.” Here’s a
clue about what it means: The
snowbound cabin is where you are
right now in your life. The moonrise
over Havana is where you could be
early in 2010. How do you get there
from here?
부
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
An estuary is a bay where
the salt water of a sea mixes with
the fresh water of rivers. These
days you remind me of such a
place. You are two-toned, Libra.
You’re dual-purpose and doubletracked. You’re a hybrid blend of the
yes and the no, the give and the
take, the extravagant and the
traditional. And somehow this has
been working out pretty well for
you. You’re not so much a
dysfunctional contradiction as an
interesting juxtaposition. You’re not
being crushed by a squeeze of
opposites so much as you’re getting
massaged by the oscillating throbs
of complementary influences. Keep
doing what you’ve been doing, only
more so..
북
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov.
21): Big shiny egos with
flashy tricks may be mucking
around in everyone’s business,
calling narcissistic attention to
themselves as they pretend to do
noble deeds. Meanwhile, I hope
you’ll be doing the hard, detailed
work that must be done to serve
the greater good — quietly and
unpretentiously improving people’s
lives without demanding major
tribute. That approach will stir up
some sleek, silky karma that will
come in handy when you undertake
the building of your masterpiece in
2010.
붂
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22Dec. 21): “Dear Rob: I love
to be proven wrong. That’s not an
ironic statement. I actually get
excited and feel creative when I
acquire new information that shows
me I’ve been operating under a
misunderstanding. One of my very
favorite life moments occurs when I
am convincingly liberated from a
negative opinion I’ve been
harboring about someone. As you
can tell, I’m quite proud of this
quality. The way I see it, emotional
wealth and psychological health
involve having so much self-respect
that I don’t need to be right all the
time. -Sagittarian Freedom Fighter.”
Dear Freedom Fighter: Thanks for
your testimony. The capacity you
described is one that many
Sagittarians will be poised to
expand in 2010. And this is an
excellent week for them to start
getting the hang of it.
붃
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan.
19): In an early version of
the tale of Pinocchio, friendly
woodpeckers chiseled his nose
back to its original size after it had
grown enormous from his
incorrigible lying. From a
metaphorical perspective,
Capricorn, a comparable
development may soon occur in
your own life. A benevolent (if
somewhat rough) intervention akin
to the woodpeckers’ assistance will
shrink an overgrown, top-heavy
part of your attitude, allowing you
to proceed to the next chapter of
your story with streamlined grace.
뵸
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb.
18): “There is light enough
for those who wish to see,” wrote
French philosopher Blaise Pascal,
“and darkness enough for those of
the opposite disposition.” I’m
hoping you will align yourself with
the first group in the coming week,
Aquarius. More than ever before,
what you choose to focus on will
come rushing in to meet you, touch
you, teach you, and prompt you to
respond. Even if all the smart
people you know seem to be drunk
on the darkness, I encourage you to
be a brave rebel who insists on
equal time for the light.
뵹
PISCES (Feb. 19-March
20): White dwarfs are small
and extremely dense stars. They’re
typically no bigger than the Earth
but as heavy as the sun. You
currently have a resemblance to
one of those concentrated balls of
pure intensity. I have rarely seen
you offering so much bang for the
buck. You are as flavorful as
chocolate mousse, as piercing as
the scent of eucalyptus, as lustrous
as a fireworks display on a
moonless night. Personally, I’m
quite attracted to your saucy and
zesty emanations, and I think most
people with strong egos will be. But
some underachievers with lower
self-esteem may regard you as
being more like astringent
medicine. My advice: Gravitate
toward those who like you to be
powerful.
Homework: Meditate on the
difference between your fearful
fantasies and your accurate
intuitions. For inspiration, listen to
my free podcast at
http://bit.ly/unqAj.

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