Fresh air, night sky, stars on screen: Cinema’s out-there date nights

WATCH / In the heat of the night

“Summer, oh you big, hot thing, it’s hard to know what you’ll bring,” wrote the recently departed Michael Leunig. Luckily for us, it reliably brings Moonlight Cinema and four months of decadent,
al fresco lolling on beanbags, drinking prosecco, eating tacos and watching our favourite movies in the company of our favourite people. February’s line-up includes “A Week of Romance” (Feb 11-16) for the gooey-centred – with showings of Notting Hill, The Notebook and 10 Things I Hate About You (on Valentine’s Day, nationally) – as well as some hotly buzzed new releases, such as We Live In Time (Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield, Feb 5, nationally), Conclave (Ralph Fiennes, Feb 6, nationally) and – our own date in the diary – A Complete Unknown (Timothée Chalamet and Elle Fanning, Feb 22, Sydney and Melbourne). See you there! Moonlight.com.au; $29.50-$56. Sharon Bradley

READ / Wild thing

It’s taken a while for Australians to embrace the call of the wild. Where once people gave posies of roses as gifts, today it might be banksias or other natives. Rewilding your garden has also become a thing, something Sydney garden designer Richard Unsworth taps into with his new book, The Natural Gardener (Thames & Hudson; $60). With photographs by Nicholas Watt, the book takes readers through some of the more relaxed green spaces Unsworth and his team at Garden Life have created for their NSW clients, from a mountain garden in Blackheath to a beachside retreat in Avalon and a modernist revival in Lindfield. As Unsworth writes, in these climate-challenged times, the “return to more naturalistic plantings, to a wilder landscape – a way of gardening that treads more lightly on the earth” can only be a good thing. Katrina Strickland

LISTEN / The living and the dead

In the winter of 2002, a gas-fitter was sent to refill a propane tank at a remote crematorium in the small, rural US town of Noble, Georgia. While there, he inadvertently made a grisly discovery. Eventually, police discovered the remains of more than 300 human bodies buried, stored or scattered around the property. All of them were meant to have been cremated and the ashes sent to loved ones. The discovery resulted in the longest and most expensive investigation in southern US history. How on earth did this happen – and why didn’t anyone notice? In Noble, a meticulously researched, emotional gut-punch of a podcast, journalist Shaun Raviv asks these questions and deeper ones about our complex relationship with death and the need for closure. Barry Divola

SMILE / Misters and misses

From cheeky Little Miss Bad in lavender to optimistic Little Miss Sunshine in yellow, Maison de Sabré transforms your childhood favourites into luxurious leather AirTag charms and coin cases ($95). Inspired by the original 1971 Mr. Men and Little Miss books, the collection pays homage to the characters’ nostalgic appeal while capturing their expressive personalities and moods so you can show yours. As for this writer? She won’t be able to resist Mr. Tickle. Frances Mocnik

SPLURGE / Power play

If you want the ultimate gaming machine, it’s hard to look past Sony’s PS5 Pro, a souped-up, more powerful version of what was already a highly impressive console. Boasting significant performance and graphic improvements, the PS5 ($1199) delivers wow factor in spades. Whether you’re tearing up the racetrack in Gran Turismo 7 or dispatching zombies in The Last of Us Part II, the PS5 is simply a blast. Disappointingly for its price, the PS5 lacks an in-built disc drive, but you can purchase one separately. David Swan

PLAY/ A date with desire

Desire, love and sex – three endlessly alluring words – take centre stage at Melbourne’s new, immersive Museum of Desire in Collingwood. This isn’t your typical gallery: it’s where art flirts back, interactive installations invite exploration, and immersive experiences harness AI, technology and sound to unleash your inner artist. Strum the Laser Harp for an aural thrill, plunge into the Joy Room’s ball pit of boobs or steal a kiss inside the nostalgic Kissing Booth, while Infinity and Beyond, a video installation by Melbourne artists The Huxleys, offers reflections of a loved-up nature. Leave your inhibitions at the door; your imagination will thank you ($44, 18+ only. until June 30). Frances Mocnik

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