STUFF: News, Technology, the cool and the plain weird

[MIKA27]

JOHN WALKER & SONS MASTERY OF OAK WHISKY

The John Walker & Sons line of whiskeys represent the higher end of the Johnnie Walker line, and this year's release continues to focus on the role oak plays in enhancing flavors. John Walker & Sons Mastery of Oak Scotch Whisky features the expert guidance of Master Blender Jim Beveridge who selected rare and experimental whiskeys that mingled with three types of oak before bottling. Each bottle is individually numbered, and only 5,588 are available worldwide. $715

[Fuzz]

1 hour ago, MIKA27 said:

Resident Evil Is Getting A Six-Movie Reboot

 

Who would have suspected the T-virus would also work on films?

[MIKA27]

Bride Of Frankenstein Will Be The Next Monster Movie In Universal's 'Dark Universe'

Universal has officially unveiled the "Dark Universe", the name for its shared universe of monster movie reboots now kicking off with The Mummy next month. It's also confirmed some major cast members and the next ghoulish entry in the franchise.

Announced in a press release today, Bride of Frankenstein, due out 14 February 2019, will be directed by Beauty and the Beast's Bill Condon as the next entry in the series — taking the place of a previously planned, unrevealed title originally due for release on 13 April 2018, which has now been removed from schedules. Casting for the titular Bride is underway, with an announcement due soon. The movie and its rebranding for the Dark Universe was also accompanied today by a teaser highlighting a new theme composed by the legendary Danny Elfman, which will appear in The Mummy and recur throughout future movies in the franchise.

Aside from the Bride of Frankenstein announcement, Universal also further confirmed that the previously-rumoured Johnny Depp and Javier Bardem will be coming aboard the Dark Universe as the Invisible Man and Frankenstein's Monster, respectively, in future films — joining Russell Crowe, Tom Cruise and Sofia Boutella as main stars in the spooktacular monsterverse.

Crowe in particular will play an important role as Dr Jekyll/Mr Hyde, who is re-imagined in The Mummy and future Dark Universe films as the head of a secret supernatural investigation group called the Prodigium, which will tie all the films together:

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At its organising principle, Dark Universe films are connected by a mysterious multi-national organisation known as Prodigium. Led by the enigmatic and brilliant Dr. Henry Jekyll, Prodigium's mission is to track, study and — when necessary — destroy evil embodied in the form of monsters in our world. Working outside the aegis of any government, and with practices concealed by millennia of secrecy, Prodigium protects the public from knowledge of the evil that exists just beyond the thin membrane of civilized society…and will go to any length to contain it.

 

[MIKA27]

Zack Snyder Leaves Justice League After Family Tragedy

In one of the most heart-wrenching stories you're likely to ever hear, director Zack Snyder has decided to step back from directing Justice League to be with his family after the tragic suicide of his 20-year-old daughter, Autumn. Joss Whedon will finish the film.

Autumn Snyder took her life in March but the family decided to keep the news private. However, with reshoots about to get started ahead of the film's November release, the director felt it was time to make the news public instead of delaying the film.

"I've decided to take a step back from the movie to be with my family, be with my kids, who really need me," Snyder told The Hollywood Reporter.

Snyder's wife Deborah, who is a producer on the film, is similarly stepping back from her duties. The Snyders had recently screened a rough cut of the film and brought on Whedon to write some new scenes. But when they realised they couldn't bring themselves to leave their family for London again, Whedon was asked to direct too.

"I never planned to make this public," Snyder said. "I thought it would just be in the family, a private matter, our private sorrow that we would deal with. When it became obvious that I need to take break, I knew there would be narratives created on the internet. They will do what they do. The truth is… I'm past caring about that kind of thing now."

The president of Warner Bros. Pictures, Toby Emmerich, also added that even with Whedon helping, this is still very much Zack Snyder's movie.

"The directing is minimal and it has to adhere to the style and tone and the template that Zack set," Emmerich said. "We're not introducing any new characters. It's the same characters in some new scenes. He's handing a baton to Joss but the course has really been set by Zack. I still believe that despite this tragedy, we'll still end up with a great movie."

Justice League will be released November 16.

[MIKA27]

Tom Holland Will Play Young Nathan Drake In The Uncharted Movie

Sony's long-in-gestation adaptation of the smash hit video game series Uncharted has apparently gone under a major reworking. It's now a prequel series set before the events of the games, and its hero Nathan Drake will be a youngster played by Spider-Man himself.

Deadline reports that Shawn Levy's film — itself a retooling of initial plans for an adaptation of Naughty Dog's Indiana Jones-esque action series — will now take inspiration from flashback sequences shown in the third game of the series, Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, which showed the young Nathan Drake meeting his future partner-in-crime Victor "Sully" Sullivan for the first time.

Young Nate as he appeared in the PS3 video game Uncharted 3.

The website claims the vast retooling of plans for the film came when Sony Pictures chief Tom Rothman saw a new cut of Spider-Man: Homecoming, which has lead to not only Uncharted getting a new re-write — with Sony allegedly currently hunting for a new writer to re-do Joe Carnahan's cript — but also Homecoming star Tom Holland coming on board to play the young Drake.

It's definitely not an angle many Uncharted fans would have expected the movie series to take. And perhaps it's a little disconcerting that the whole sea change and Holland's involvement allegedly comes from a reaction to his performance as Peter Parker, rather than out of a sense that it's right for Uncharted. But still, we'll have to wait and see if this iteration of Uncharted is the one that ultimately moves forward, or if it faces the same tumultuous fate past attempts at bringing Drake to the big screen have.

 

[MIKA27]

The Doomsday Vault Isn't Flooded But We're All Still Going To Die

It was a story that was too good to pass up. The Svalbard "doomsday" seed vault had flooded because of global warming-induced high temperatures melting the surrounding permafrost. But according to one of the vault's creators, the reports are pretty overblown and everything's fine. Well, the vault's fine. The apocalypse is still ticking along nicely.

The Doomsday Vault is about 1300km north of the Arctic Circle and holds close to a million seed samples from all over the world. The idea is that if a certain crop goes extinct, there will be backup samples waiting in the middle of nowhere. So when news broke that the record-setting heat over the last year caused the permafrost that the vault is sunk into to melt and seep inside, it was obviously alarming. The Guardian wrote that meltwater was sent "gushing into the entrance tunnel".

Popular Science spoke with Cary Fowler, one of the creators of the vault, to see just how serious the situation really is. "Flooding is probably not quite the right word to use in this case," he told them. According to Fowler, a little bit of water has made its way into the entrance every year. Though he wasn't present at the vault when the "flooding" occurred this year, he insists that it's a pretty routine occurrence.

"The tunnel was never meant to be water tight at the front, because we didn't think we would need that," he tells Pop Sci. Basically, there's a 100m tunnel that serves as a walkway into the mountain and it goes downhill. Before you reach the vault doors, the ground shifts uphill. This little area allows water to collect and two pumps can evacuate it. Hege Njaa Aschim, a Norwegian government official, told the Guardian, "A lot of water went into the start of the tunnel and then it froze to ice, so it was like a glacier when you went in." And well, that isn't really a crisis. In fact, according to Fowler, if the water were to make it all the way uphill it would get hit with temperatures around minus 18C, freeze, and create a new barrier.

Still, the seed vault is supposed to function without humans having to get involved with maintenance. The Norwegian government is studying the situation and plans to fix the leak.

Fowler insists that based on his team's studies, if all the world's ice melted, and the world's biggest tsunami occurred in front of the vault, it would still be sitting around five to seven storeys above the action. And we, of course, would probably be dead.

[MIKA27]

Teaser Trailer For Hayden Christensen’s New Movie ‘Numb, At The Edge Of The End’

Well, this looks interesting.

People tend to give Hayden Christensen a lot of flack for the Star Wars prequels sometimes laying the blame for the movies almost entirely on him. They seem to forget he’s an extremely compelling actor when given the right material and was nominated for a Golden Globe in 2001 for Life as a House. This new movie looks pretty bonkers and come with a bonus... Harvey Keitel.

Summary: Tov Matheson is a war veteran with PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) who perceives that the end of the world is coming. After establishing a relationship with a dubious Messiah, he leaves his normal life and begins the construction of a shelter underground, training himself, in an extreme way, at the cost of losing everything and making people believe he is insane. When he also believes it, something extraordinary happens.

Numb, At The Edge of the End will be released sometime in 2017.

[MIKA27]

Mystery of Leonardo da Vinci’s Mother Has Been Solved

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(She) was a peasant fallen on bad times, and you cannot be much lower in the social pile than that. To be a 16-year-old with an illegitimate son and no house was about as bad as it gets.

“She” did at least one thing to be proud of … that illegitimate son grew up to be one of the greatest geniuses in history – Leonardo da Vinci. According to a new book, the identity of the woman who didn’t get to know her artistic progeny until the end of her life has finally been determined using information in previously disregarded property tax records from Florence and Vinci. The book also sheds light on Leonardo’s father and the other woman in his life: Mona Lisa.

Martin Kemp, emeritus professor of art history at the University of Oxford, is the co-author, with economist and art researcher with Dr Giuseppe Pallanti, of Mona Lisa: The People and the Painting. Kemp admits the key to the story is the archived 15th-century financial documents.

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Tuscany set up a very early system of wealth tax and rates on the value of a property. So this is an absolutely fantastic record because everyone had to submit returns … Of course, everyone pleads poverty. They all say ‘this house is falling down’, but inspectors went round.

Those records show that one of those decrepit properties near Vinci belonged to Bartolomeo Lippi, who deserted his family and left his daughter, Caterina di Meo Lippi, to live with her grandmother. When she died, Caterina lived with an aunt and uncle. Meanwhile, Ser Piero da Vinci, a 25-year-old lawyer from Florence on a break in Vinci in July 1451, met 15-year-old Caterina and had sex with her. Nine months later, their son Leonardo was born.

So far the men in this story are cads at best. Ser Piero was engaged to someone else, so his family paid Caterina a dowry and she married local farmer Antonio di Piero Buti.

Enter the first good guy: Antonio da Vinci. Ser Pier’s father allowed his grandson to live with him and use the name Leonardo di Ser Piero da Vinci. Caterina lived nearby but didn’t seem to have any contact with her first son (she had another and four daughters). However, the records show that Leonardo’s father did some legal work for her husband. Since there was a record, Ser Piero probably charged him for the work – nice guy.

According to Kemp, forty years later in Milan, Caterina and Leonardo finally got back together, if only for a short time. A 1494 note in Leonardo’s notebooks says “Caterina came to stay” while another shows he paid for her funeral expenses a year later.

What about Leonardo’s other woman? Kemp found records on the dealings of the husband of Lisa del Giocondo, who posed for the Mona Lisa. Once believed to be Florentine silk merchant, legal documents showed that he was “a sharp operator” who traded in sugar, leather, property, money and … female slaves. Nice guy.

No matter how hard you try to hide them, those tax records have a way of finally catching up with you.

[MIKA27]

BOUNDARY PRIMA MODULAR BACKPACK

We find ourself frequently lugging around a lot of gear with us in our day-to-day. The problem is, while we need it all sometimes, we’d like to lighten our load for those moments we don’t. It’s that exact problem that the folks at Boundary have tried to solve with their Prima Modular Backpack System; and they might just be onto something.

While the main pack is impressive on its own – offering 25-30 liters of storage – it also comes with two secondary removable modular packs that offer another 10+ liters of extra storage. They are the Verge (think of this sub-pack like an on-the-go camera pack) and the Field Space (a tech EDC-style organizer). All three can be used together or separately, are crafted from 750D nylon Duramax Koda, and come equipped with YKK Stormguard zippers. And that’s just the beginning – as each of the three offers their own specialized compartmental storage, making them both superb on their own and unmatched as a complete set. Back this EDC project on Kickstarter now starting at $189.

 

[MIKA27]

The Incredible Majesty Of A Rolls-Royce Umbrella

For those not in the market for spectrally named vehicles with starting prices at over $400,000, the concept of a Rolls-Royce umbrella may be foreign. But the company has great pride in the rain shields it hides in its cars. They're treated more like royalty than you or I will ever be.

The Rolls-Royce umbrellas slot right into the door of its cars, and the company calls them a "hallmark" feature of its lineup. Just one of those umbrellas would make a decent mark in a normal person's bank account, since the New York Daily News reports that those in the 2013 Rolls-Royce Phantom cost about $US700 a pop. Two come with the nearly $US500,000 car.

Rolls-Royce is so obsessed with its hallmark in-door umbrellas that it actually dedicated an entire room — one that probably has more square feet than the house I plan to buy at a lower price than a Rolls-Royce car — to eight artistically placed umbrellas "fly[ing] the length of the room, furling themselves by stages, until the last one slots neatly into the door of a Rolls-Royce Ghost."

At this point, all Rolls-Royce has to do is write words to make me feel poor.

Anyway, if you never plan to get your hands on a Rolls-Royce (or just one of its umbrellas, since the cheapest used one on eBay is $US385), Regular Car Reviews got a tour of the Wraith and its majestic carbon-fibre umbrellas recently.

You can see just how highly regarded the things are in the video below, popping out of the side door that has drainage points for the rainwater and warm air that pumps through it to dry an umbrella before its owner has to get it out again.

Like Regular Car Reviews said, heaven forbid someone has to shake water off of an umbrella themselves:

Regular Car Reviews got the whole PR speech about how the umbrella in this Wraith is "not just an umbrella" and how it's "designed to fit the average man" so that the car owner doesn't have to slouch or anything while pretentiously holding it like a cane. If you're the average woman, well, it sounds like a Rolls-Royce isn't the car for you.

The umbrellas are also so "beautifully engineered" that an owner doesn't have to slide the umbrella all the way up to open it, and they're so modest that you'll only see Rolls-Royce logo on the bottom of the handle. And for $US700, a Rolls-Royce dealer will tell you that you'll go Mary Poppins before it flips inside out.

Maybe, just maybe, the gift of flight is worth $US700 to me. But only if Rolls-Royce will promise. If not, I'll stick with my $US20 Walmart umbrella that breaks in the rain and leaves me soaked in water like the peasant I am.

[MIKA27]

Sir Roger Moore, Who Portrayed James Bond As A Playful Superspy, Dead At 89

Sir Roger Moore, the third actor to take on the legendary mantle of James Bond, has died of cancer at the age of 89.

A star of the TV screen during the mid 20th-century — in starring roles such as Ivanhoe, Maverick, and most famously as Simon Templar in The Saint — Moore achieved global fame when he replaced George Lazenby as the new star of the James Bond franchise. Moore played the hero — a suave, more humorous bent on the iconic British spy in comparison to his predecessors — across seven feature films between 1973 and 1985, covering franchise classics like The Man with Golden Gun and The Spy Who Loved Me.

Moore is survived by his wife Kristina, and his three children, who released a statement on their father's passing that you can read below.

 

 

[Fuzz]

Correction, Moore replaced Connery as Bond.

1969 - On Her Majesty's Secret Service - George Lazenby

1971 - Diamonds Are Forever - Sean Connery

1973 - Live And Let Die - Roger Moore

[MIKA27]

11 minutes ago, Fuzz said:

Correction, Moore replaced Connery as Bond.

1969 - On Her Majesty's Secret Service - George Lazenby

1971 - Diamonds Are Forever - Sean Connery

1973 - Live And Let Die - Roger Moore

Thanks @Fuzz I post these articles to ensure you're on the ball  Well played

[MIKA27]

Oldest Human Ancestor Found in Europe, Not Africa

The phrase “This changes everything!” is used far too often, especially with an exclamation point indicating that life will never be the same, history must be rewritten and a revolution is imminent. However, two studies published this week contain a revelation that may qualify for both the exclamation and the point. Researchers say fossils found in Greece and Bulgaria indicate that the first hominin appeared in Europe 7.2 million years ago — 200,000 years BEFORE they were believed to have appeared in Africa. Have they discovered the ‘missing link’? Does this change everything?

According to the two studies published in PLOS ONE, researchers at the University of Tübingen in Germany were using new technology to study a jawbone found in 1944 by German soldiers in Greece. At the time of the discovery, the jaw and an upper premolar tooth found in Azmaka, Bulgaria, were attributed to a new species of ape called Graecopithecus freybergi and nicknamed El Graeco because of its Greek heritage.

The jaw in question belonged to a primate that anthropologists had previously named Graecopithecus freybergi. In the new studies, researchers led by Madelaine Böhme of the Senckengberg Center for Human Evolution and Paleoenvironment at the University of Tübingen and Nikolai Spassov from the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences used a CT scan to study the teeth, which led to their remarkable and controversial conclusion, said Spassov.

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Graecopithecus is not an ape. He is a member of the tribe of hominins and the direct ancestor of homo. The food of the Graecopithecus was related to the rather dry and hard savannah vegetation, unlike that of the recent great apes which are leaving in forests. Therefore, like humans, he has wide molars and thick enamel.

With paleomagnetic studies dating the fossils to 7.2 million years ago, that means El Graeco lived before the oldest African hominin, Sahelanthropus tchadensis, which was found in Chad. If that’s not controversial enough for you, check out Spassov’s description of El Graeco.

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To some extent this is a newly discovered missing link. But missing links will always exist, because evolution is infinite chain of subsequent forms. Probably El Graeco’s face will resemble a great ape, with shorter canines.

Artist impression of Graecopithecus. (National Museum of Natural History, Assen Ignatov)

An ‘earliest homonin’ found in Europe instead of Africa is going please some people, but a ‘missing link’ resembling an ape will displease others. Then there’s Böhme’s speculation on what happened next.

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I personally don’t think that the descendants of Graecopithecus die out, they may have spread to Africa later. The split of chimps and humans was a single event. Our data support the view that this split was happening in the eastern Mediterranean – not in Africa. If accepted, this theory will indeed alter the very beginning of human history.

‘This changes everything!’ is a lot to expect from one jaw and one tooth. Are you ready to accept it?

Is the world?

[MIKA27]

The Untold Story Behind The Force Awakens’ Best Easter Egg

There are countless callbacks to the original trilogy in The Force Awakens, from trash-compactor jokes to AT-ATs. But one Easter egg for eagle-eyed fans, which only appears in three shots, took an entire year to produce. After Han Solo and Chewbacca meet Finn, Rey, and BB-8 aboard the Millennium Falcon, Finn leans over a familiar tabletop—and a holographic board game, known as Dejarik, comes to life. It’s the same one Chewbacca and R2-D2 played against each other in the original 1977 film. And just as the Star Wars sequence was animated by special-effects legends Phil Tippett and Jon Berg, this one was created by Tippett Studio utilizing classic stop-motion animation.

Like pretty much everything from the original trilogy, the creatures from the game have been so mythologized that they’ve been given extensive backstories, despite only appearing in one scene: right after the Millennium Falcon escapes a group of Stormtroopers in Mos Eisley. “All of the holochess puppets actually now have official Wookiepedia names,” says Niketa Roman, Tippett’s PR Specialist. “But Phil calls bullshit on that. He used to call them, like, ‘the worm-looking one’ and ‘the green bobbly one.’”

It all started with Abrams approaching Phil Tippett with an idea for a quick gag for Dejarik’s reappearance. “The cool thing,” says Tippett VFX supervisor Chris Morley, “was that JJ wanted to create it in that stop-motion fashion.”

Fortunately, the team was already putting in after-hours time working on Mad God, a stop-motion movie that Tippett had first begun back in 1990. “If we hadn’t been doing that stuff when this came across our desks,” Dubeau says, “we probably would’ve punted on this—or insisted on doing it digitally.”

Tracking Down The Past

In order to recreate the holochess sequence as accurately as possible, the staff at Tippett first had to track down the original figures from 1977. Four figures—the only ones that originally moved—were housed in the Lucasfilm archives, a gift to George Lucas after the movie’s shoot wrapped. But since most of those figures were constructed with Sculpey clay, they weren’t exactly built to last. “They were in really bad shape,” says art director Mark Dubeau. “Some of them were crushed, frozen in action poses, a lot of the detail had been eradicated.”

Two other figures had been purchased at auction by Peter Jackson—which makes sense, given his affection for creature effects, both practical and digital—and were being housed at Weta in New Zealand. “That was perfect because at the time Weta had a much more robust system for scanning, says Roman: “They were able to give us real 3D scans, compared to the photogrammetry for the other puppets.”

The other two proved impossible to find. Roman tried to track them down, but apparently they had been given to Star Wars/Empire Strikes Back producer Gary Kurtz, who passed them to his children; ultimately they were sold at a private auction to a non-disclosed buyer. “I hit a dead end,” Roman says.

Ultimately, the Tippett team was able to use photogrammetry, Weta’s 3D scans, and original production photos to reconstruct all eight of the creatures. Once modeled, the designs were sent out for approval from the Star Wars production team, and then 3D-printed; those resin models were used to make molds so the creatures could be created from silicone, with metal armatures for articulated movement.

Then the team used two Canon setups with different lenses, fitted to a grid system; using Dragonframe software, they were able to see just how the creatures would appear in the actual shots taken during production on The Force Awakens. Their goal was to pick up precisely where the Dejarik game left off in A New Hope: R2-D2’s game piece lifting and slamming Chewbacca’s, a creature the animators referred to as “Hunk.” After analyzing the 1977 sequence, the team determined how to place the creatures in the exact same positions they were at the end of the original scene. In The Force Awakens, the game continues; once Finn turns on the table, as Dubeau says, “Hunk gets back up and exacts his revenge on the guy who threw him down.”

Appreciating The Future

Since Tippett was working on other projects throughout, it took about a year to complete the short sequence needed for the Easter egg in The Force Awakens. (In contrast, it took Tippett and Berg only two weeks to sculpt and shoot the original sequence for A New Hope.) “What we were doing was essentially digital archaeology to match it up to the original,” says Dubeau, ticking off the process’s various steps. “To animate just one second of footage takes almost a whole day,” says Morley, “especially when you have eight characters.”

But the results are undeniably entertaining—another reminder that the spirit of the original Star Wars continues on with the new Disney trilogy. While Phil Tippett remains a practical-effect purist, though, some elements of the holochess reconstruction might just worm their way into future projects. “He hates computers, he thinks they’ve destroyed film completely,” says Roman. “But by the time it was over, he was like, ‘Wow, what else can 3D-printing do?’”

 

[MIKA27]

WHERE TO FIND MELBOURNE’S MOST AMAZING STEAK

Ah, steak. Where would the human race be today without hunter gathering that very first piece of precious flesh in the name of survival (sorry, vegan guy).

There’s no doubting that steak has elevated itself beyond the home grill and onto the world stage in an audacious exhibition of the finest cuts available to discerning diners (looking at you, Saltbae).

This is steak but not as necessity knows it. This is steak served as a precious commodity and here’s where to sample the very best of it in Melbourne.

SQUIRES LOFT

Widely recognised as one of the most experienced steak houses in Melbourne, Squires Loft retains a fierce reputation amongst its followers – and there are many as Squires Loft have been in business for two decades. The grill masters here let their produce do the talking here with sensational cuts of meat sourced from the local lust pastures of the Western District of Victoria and Gippsland. If you choose this joint you won’t have an issue finding it too since they have numerous locations all over Melbourne.

ROCKPOOL BAR & GRILL

Much like Sydney’s iconic steakhouse, Neil Perry’s Rockpool Bar & Grill also resides down south to serve up his signature American-style cuts of perfectly cooked steak. The man also has a reputation to uphold so expect only the highest of quality from Australia’s premiere producers including David Blackmore’s Wagyu, Cape Grim, and Minderoo. All meat which enters Rockpool is also dry-aged in-house to ensure absolute control of quality.

Crown Entertainment Complex, 8 Whiteman St, Southbank

SAN TELMO

For an authentic Argentinian twist on a classic steak, the place to hit up is San Telmo in the heart of Melbourne’s CBD. The grill masters here utilise imported Argentine charcoal called Parilla to give their cuts a unique smokey flavour that is their signature. All the beef at San Telmo is pasture-fed and sourced from O’Connors including their premium dry aged rib eye.

14 Meyers Pl, Melbourne

LA LUNA

The secret to Adrian Richardson’s beef is the dry ageing which spans for 60 whole days before it reaches the hot plates. Variation is also the winner here with everything from the modern European classic rump to rib eye to a 200g Filet Mignon wrapped in bacon. Those up for a real challenge can take on the 900g steak served on the bone.

320 Rathdowne St, Carlton North

STEER BAR & GRILL

You want options and sophistication? [ Like @melies ]  You’ll get it at Steer Bar & Grill with over 30 different cuts of meat on offer in a lavish dining environment. The variation in flavour and cuts are carefully sourced from numerous regions to ensure every cut of steak earns its place on the menu. It’s not the most affordable on the list but it’s definitely an experience.

15 Claremont St, South Yarra

THE DUTCHESS

Head upstairs Duke’s and you’ll be greeted with Dutchess, an eatery which also serves up some serious steaks in an elegant setting. Their sizes of steak range from small at 150g to their largest at 1.1kg with cuts consisting of pasture-fed, Cape Grim to dry-aged Tasmanian beef that’s full of flavour.

The Duke Of Wellington, 146 Flinders St, Melbourne

LONGHORN SALOON

Like the others on this list, Longhorn Saloon only serves up serious steaks with a Tex-Mex twist. Headed by the Balleau brothers, diners can expect the best in eye fillet and New York Strip cuts that are grain-fed and certified Angus. There’s even a selection of cuts from the Hunter Valley with a generous dose of equally delectable sides to accompany any wine or cocktail.

118 Elgin St, Carlton

And my personal favourite;

THE MEAT & WINE CO.

Established in 2000, The Meat & Wine Co brings personable service giving you the sense of a ‘home away from home’. While focusing on meat they bring you cutting edge modern cuisine.

Serving world class produce and products including the exclusive line of Monte Beef. Designed from paddock to plate through a multi-channel monitored program to ensure only the most top graded products are served. Pairing with Australia’s most unique wines from favourites and award winners to under-rated and boutique they are sure to tantalize even the most discerning guests.

Be surrounded by opulent cutting edge interiors which showcase their heritage routes and modern flare. Boasting industrial appeal and warm textures and interior pieces.

The Meat & Wine Co.

 

[MIKA27]

SCREAMING PIGEON MOPED BY DICER BIKES

For those who recognize the roots of this throwback bike’s name, you’re not mistaken. This is, in fact, a Flying Pigeon bicycle – one of over 500 million bikes the Chinese manufacturing powerhouse has built for the growing population in the Far East. So, how does one turn a Flying Pigeon into a Screaming Pigeon? Simply ask Brad Wilson of Dicer Bikes.

Here, Wilson decided to add a small 50cc single cylinder engine to the ride, now boasting a top speed of 44 mph. To do so, the bike had to be stripped down to the frame and rebuilt. First up were the wheels that were re-spoked for this project, next were the handlebars that were cut off, flipped over, welded back on, and now host a motorcycle throttle. Dicer Bikes also added a fuel tank to the ride, front disc brakes, and a boardtrack-style Brooks seat. Needless to say, this little guy could be the ultimate urban commuter bike, if only more were in the works.

[MIKA27]

BUGEILYN MOOR 1,040-ACRE WELSH COUNTRYSIDE

Lakes. Streams. Mountains. Wildlife. The Bugeilyn Moor 1,040-Acre Welsh Countryside offers all that and more. Set in the Pumlumon mountain range on the western side of Great Britain, this spectacular piece of land is home to a large variety of plants and animals, as well as a derelict shooting lodge and a 45-acre lake. Whether you want to do some hunting, bird-watching, or just get away from civilization for awhile, it's a fantastic spot to do it.

[melies]

10 hours ago, MIKA27 said:

WHERE TO FIND MELBOURNE’S MOST AMAZING STEAK

Ah, steak. Where would the human race be today without hunter gathering that very first piece of precious flesh in the name of survival (sorry, vegan guy).

There’s no doubting that steak has elevated itself beyond the home grill and onto the world stage in an audacious exhibition of the finest cuts available to discerning diners (looking at you, Saltbae).

This is steak but not as necessity knows it. This is steak served as a precious commodity and here’s where to sample the very best of it in Melbourne.

SQUIRES LOFT

Widely recognised as one of the most experienced steak houses in Melbourne, Squires Loft retains a fierce reputation amongst its followers – and there are many as Squires Loft have been in business for two decades. The grill masters here let their produce do the talking here with sensational cuts of meat sourced from the local lust pastures of the Western District of Victoria and Gippsland. If you choose this joint you won’t have an issue finding it too since they have numerous locations all over Melbourne.

ROCKPOOL BAR & GRILL

Much like Sydney’s iconic steakhouse, Neil Perry’s Rockpool Bar & Grill also resides down south to serve up his signature American-style cuts of perfectly cooked steak. The man also has a reputation to uphold so expect only the highest of quality from Australia’s premiere producers including David Blackmore’s Wagyu, Cape Grim, and Minderoo. All meat which enters Rockpool is also dry-aged in-house to ensure absolute control of quality.

Crown Entertainment Complex, 8 Whiteman St, Southbank

SAN TELMO

For an authentic Argentinian twist on a classic steak, the place to hit up is San Telmo in the heart of Melbourne’s CBD. The grill masters here utilise imported Argentine charcoal called Parilla to give their cuts a unique smokey flavour that is their signature. All the beef at San Telmo is pasture-fed and sourced from O’Connors including their premium dry aged rib eye.

14 Meyers Pl, Melbourne

LA LUNA

The secret to Adrian Richardson’s beef is the dry ageing which spans for 60 whole days before it reaches the hot plates. Variation is also the winner here with everything from the modern European classic rump to rib eye to a 200g Filet Mignon wrapped in bacon. Those up for a real challenge can take on the 900g steak served on the bone.

320 Rathdowne St, Carlton North

STEER BAR & GRILL

You want options and sophistication? [ Like @melies ]  You’ll get it at Steer Bar & Grill with over 30 different cuts of meat on offer in a lavish dining environment. The variation in flavour and cuts are carefully sourced from numerous regions to ensure every cut of steak earns its place on the menu. It’s not the most affordable on the list but it’s definitely an experience.

15 Claremont St, South Yarra

THE DUTCHESS

Head upstairs Duke’s and you’ll be greeted with Dutchess, an eatery which also serves up some serious steaks in an elegant setting. Their sizes of steak range from small at 150g to their largest at 1.1kg with cuts consisting of pasture-fed, Cape Grim to dry-aged Tasmanian beef that’s full of flavour.

The Duke Of Wellington, 146 Flinders St, Melbourne

LONGHORN SALOON

Like the others on this list, Longhorn Saloon only serves up serious steaks with a Tex-Mex twist. Headed by the Balleau brothers, diners can expect the best in eye fillet and New York Strip cuts that are grain-fed and certified Angus. There’s even a selection of cuts from the Hunter Valley with a generous dose of equally delectable sides to accompany any wine or cocktail.

118 Elgin St, Carlton

And my personal favourite;

THE MEAT & WINE CO.

Established in 2000, The Meat & Wine Co brings personable service giving you the sense of a ‘home away from home’. While focusing on meat they bring you cutting edge modern cuisine.

Serving world class produce and products including the exclusive line of Monte Beef. Designed from paddock to plate through a multi-channel monitored program to ensure only the most top graded products are served. Pairing with Australia’s most unique wines from favourites and award winners to under-rated and boutique they are sure to tantalize even the most discerning guests.

Be surrounded by opulent cutting edge interiors which showcase their heritage routes and modern flare. Boasting industrial appeal and warm textures and interior pieces.

The Meat & Wine Co.

 

Great article my friend! will check them out when i get down there

[MIKA27]

7 hours ago, melies said:

Great article my friend! will check them out when i get down there

Should you come down this way, WE will check a few out together  Belated Birthday dinner(s)

[scap99]

On 5/22/2017 at 1:28 AM, MIKA27 said:

The Venom Movie Has Chosen Its Star/Symbiote Host: Tom Hardy

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Tom Hardy is Eddie Brock in #Venom, the upcoming film from Sony’s Marvel Universe releasing October 5, 2018 – production starts this fall.

Venom is scheduled for release in the US 5 October 2018.

Boo!

Can't stand this guy.

 

Oh well, they'll probably reboot this film a dozen times like Spider Man.

[MIKA27]

Here's The First Look At Netflix's Castlevania Show, Coming In July

We've known since February that Netflix was working on a Castlevania TV show due later this year. Now we know exactly when it will premiere (July 7), plus we have an official synopsis and a first teaser.

First, here's the synopsis:

Quote

Inspired by the classic video game series, Castlevania is a dark medieval fantasy following the last surviving member of the disgraced Belmont clan, trying to save Eastern Europe from extinction at the hand of Vlad Dracula Tepe himself. The animated series written by best-selling author and comic book icon Warren Ellis and executive produced by Warren Ellis, Kevin Kolde, Fred Seibert and Adi Shankar.

And, of course, don't miss the blood-soaked and nostalgia-infused teaser, too:

[MIKA27]

The Latest Valerian Trailer Is A Neon-Streaked, Action-Packed Journey To Save The Universe

Luc Besson's Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets is not lacking in colour or a wide variety of alien life, that's for sure. This new trailer really focuses on explaining the basics of the plot: Agents Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Laureline (Cara Delevingne) are investigating and then trying to stop a threat to Alpha, the titular "city of a thousand planets". Which is when, of course, the entire universe gets in trouble.

Every time we see something from Valerian, Besson's passion for the project is evident in all the amazing visuals, which practically ooze off the screen. It's a delight to see a movie this colourful and fun and weird that's still been created for mass audiences.

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets comes out August 10.

[MIKA27]

The New Game Of Thrones Trailer Is Here, And Everyone Is Doomed

Our first good look at the next season of Game of Thrones is finally here, and it isn't just winter that's coming to the Seven Kingdoms — it's all-out war.

The new trailer sets up a dire time for Cersei and Jamie — surrounded on all sides by enemies old and new — Daenerys' invasion, and Jon Snow's rise to leading the North against oncoming deadly threat of the White Walkers.

Game of Thrones returns July 17.

 

[MIKA27]

Looking Back At Moonraker's Wild Attempt To Turn James Bond Into Star Wars

When Star Wars hit theatres 40 years ago this week, it changed the film industry forever. But as well as its long-reaching impact, in the immediate wake of its release, it also drove sci-fi into the moviemaking spotlight in a big way. Whatever could the James Bond series do to compete? Send 007 into space in the wildest way.

The tragic passing of Sir Roger Moore has us casting our minds back to Bond's own attempt to capitalise on space mania after Star Wars rocked the box office. After The Spy Who Loved Me, series producers had intended to adapt For Your Eyes Only, but the enormous success of Star Wars prompted a change in direction, and so Moonraker was instead chosen for Moore's fourth Bond film.

Except, despite the decidedly spacey title, Fleming's original novel is not sci-fi at all — in fact, at the time of its release, it was infamous for being set entirely in England. Fans were annoyed at the lack of exotic locales in the book's story, which revolved around turncoat industrialist Hugo Drax attempting to use a missile defence system he designed for the British Government to nuke London. The movie lifted the title, Drax as a villain, and then very little else, in order to make Drax's plans for evil have some out-of-this-world scale... literally, because Moonraker decided to set its climax aboard a space station orbiting Earth.

What followed was one of the craziest suspensions of disbelief in Bond history, as Bond, his buxom companion Holly Goodhead, and even villain-turned-ally Jaws battled to stop the villain from launching nerve gas into Earth's atmosphere... while the United States sent a platoon of Marines up to space to combat Drax's henchmen in a zero-g laser gun fight.

It's completely wild, and quite unlike anything Bond had ever attempted before — or likely ever will. Astronauts vs. fascists in a laser-strewn space battle would be absurd for a lot of franchises, let alone one as often more serious as James Bond, but it did it anyway. And it looked pretty damn cool, despite the absurdity.

Moonraker might not be the best Bond movie — it might not even be the best of Moore's time with the Bond mantle. But all these years later, its goofy charm perhaps best represents the joyful camp that Moore brought to his role as 007, something we will always remember now that he's gone.