What to Watch, Play and Read in Australia This Weekend
There are more entertainment options than ever before. While the pandemic may cause restrictions to change at any moment, there’s always something to watch, play or do on your weekend.
To help you cut through the noise of an overwhelming amount of new movies, TV shows, games and experiences on offer right now, every week we’ll give you a list of recommendations to entertain you over the weekend.
Here’s what’s new this week.
What’s new on streaming?
Here’s what you can watch on streaming services in Australia this weekend.
We could all use some wholesome animated content in our lives right now, so thank god Netflix is bringing out Lin Manuel Miranda’s Vivo this weekend.
If you’d like a little more action the streaming service also became home to a bunch of blockbusters including The Hunger Games, The Matrix and Joker.
If you missed them some other new additions include Masters: of the Universe: Revelation, The Fear Street Trilogy, Blood Red Sky, and all the Harry Potter movies.
If none of these are appealing to you, check out our list of the best Netflix movies based on their Rotten Tomato ranking.
What’s happening on Australia’s local streaming service?
Stan nabbed the streaming rights to one of the hottest comedies in Hollywood right now with Hacks, which debuts on Friday.
You can also check out the new season of The L Word: Generation Q and a whole bunch of DC comics titles that are new to the service this week.
You can also catch David Lynch’s Dune if you’re keen on seeing the story before the new adaptation of Frank Herbert’s novel.
For those stuck in lockdown (or who would just rather watch a movie at home) you can find Disney’s new blockbuster Jungle Cruise, starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, on Disney+.
You’ll need to pay a one time $35 fee and then you can watch it as many times as you like.
Gal Gadot’s new documentary series interviewing real-life wonder women, Impact, also debuts in time for the weekend.
If you’ve been following The Hills: New Beginnings on Binge, you’ll be sad to know the finale is this week. But you can enjoy seasons 1-6 of the original The Hills on the platform as of now.
Roswell, New Mexico also just kicked off its third season. If you’re a fan of the 90s series you might enjoy this one too.
Cruel Summer is Amazon’s new original series which looks pretty good!
It takes place over three summers in the 90s when a beautiful and popular teen goes missing, and a seemingly unrelated girl transforms from a sweet and awkward outlier to the most popular girl in town, eventually becoming the most despised person in America.
Amazon Prime Video is also home to a bunch of new blockbuster movies including John Wick: Chapter 2, Call Me By Your Name, The Shallows and the first three Men in Black films.
ABC
In honour of the Olympics, ABC has brought out something special.
Tall Poppy – A Skater’s Story tells the tale of Olympic hopeful Poppy Starr Olsen who is competing at this year’s games. Watch the documentary on the ABC on Sunday August 1 (or later on ABC iView).
You can find out what else to watch in Australia this month with our guide.
What’s new at Australian cinemas?
Glad you asked. We’re lucky enough to have cinemas well and truly open again in (most of) Australia, so what’s good on the big screen?
New at cinemas this week is James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, which appears to be a huge improvement on the first Suicide Squad. If you’re stuck in lockdown without any means to watch the film, let it be known there is a way.
Henry Golding’s Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins, and Disney’s Jungle Cruise are also fresh releases.
You can also catch these movies in theatres:
- Space Jam: A New Legacy
- Black Widow
- Gunpowder Milkshake
- Fast & Furious 9
- Werewolves Within
Any new video games?
For those who enjoy gaming on the weekend, you’ll be glad to know there are some hot new titles to dig into.
The biggest hitter is still the new cyberpunk RPG, The Ascent, which you can play on Xbox or PC. Our friends at Kotaku really enjoyed this one so it’s worth trying out!
Apart from that, why not use the lockdown to catch up on your pile of shame? Pokemon Unite, Monster Hunter Stories 2, Mario Golf: Super Rush and Scarlet Nexus are all recent releases you may have missed.
How about something new to read?
A new month means lots of new books are out there just waiting to be read.
This week Mark Dapin’s new book Prison Break is a fascinating look at the real stories behind some of Australia’s most daring prison escapes.
This week saw the release of Sophie Green’s Thursdays at Orange Blossom House. The Aussie book is set in the tropics of Queensland and tells a heartwarming tale of friendship, family and the power of love.
If you’re looking for some other recommendations, check out our mates over at Pedestrian.tv who have some stellar picks for the whole month.
Articles worth your time
Looking for a shorter read for your weekend? We’ve collated some of the top articles from our sites at Pedestrian Group over the past week that are well worth your time.
- First up, did you hear Refinery29 has launched in Australia? Head over there and check out all the excellent reads from the team!
- Do you ever feel like you’re in the wrong job? Maybe you are. Find out the signs on Lifehacker.
- It’s hard to believe but there really are broadband networks in Australia that aren’t the NBN. Gizmodo breaks down the OptiComm network.
- The 2021 Census is coming up and it still leaves LGBTQI+ people out. Pedestrian.TV agrees this has to change.
- The Tokyo Olympics are on right now but do you know how our Aussies athletes are paid? Business Insider found out.
- There are so many video games out there, but not all of them make it. Kotaku investigates what happens to the games that are cancelled.
Or some new music?
Good tunes are a sure-fire way to get the good vibes going.
This latest big release album is without a doubt Billie Eilish’s Happier Than Ever. Hopefully listening to it also makes you happy.
For fans of scripted podcasts, QCODE’s latest is a doozy. Titled Edith! it stars Rosamund Pike in a true-ish comedy about America’ secret first female president.
Are there any good events happening around Australia?
There’s a ton of great events out there now that restrictions, for some, have eased.
Our mates up in the Northern Territory have the Darwin Festival to look forward to this weekend. There’ll be a whole range of indoor and outdoor events running from August 5 to August 22.
Unfortunately, those in Greater Sydney and Brisbane will still need to rely on indoor entertainment as lockdown continues. Here’s a feed of cuddly animals from Targona Zoo for your enjoyment.
If none of this takes you can also support our Aussie athletes by checking out the Tokyo Olympics on Channel 7.
Lifehacker recommends
Here’s what the Lifehacker team is checking out this weekend.
Steph: Now that I’ve smashed through seasons one and two of Succession (where’s the third season at?) I’ve decided it’s time to give The Americans a go. I’m only about two episodes in, but Russian spy drama feels like it may be a solid choice during lockdown.
My other weekend plans? Getting vaccinated. Yipee.
Lauren: While it’s not something I’m doing over the weekend one of my highlights this week in lockdown was virtual trivia at the Golden Age Cinema. It was so well organised and really nice to catch up with my trivia teammates. There’s plenty of virtual trivia nights out there so I strongly recommend giving it a shot!
Mel: Nothing has warmed my heart as much as seeing gold medal-winning British diver Tom Daley bring his knitting to the Olympic Games. I’ve been knitting since I was a teenager and it’s been such a great comfort and at times bragging rights for me. So seeing Tom proudly make dog jumpers and Team GB cardis in the stands has been like winning a medal myself. Get amongst it and pick up the skills yourself – Patons makes great starter books Learn To Knit and Learn To Crochet, and Ravelry has a whole range of patterns for all skill levels – a lot of which are free!
That’s it from us. Enjoy your weekend!
This article has been updated with additional information.
The post What to Watch, Play and Read in Australia This Weekend appeared first on Lifehacker Australia.
