Breitling has always been an innovative, independent brand – but under Georges Kern, the brand has reached new heights.

The iconoclastic German horological maestro shocked the watch world when he left luxury giant Richemont after a fruitful 17 years with the company to head up Breitling. As The Insider has put it, “to say he has since made his mark on the 136-year-old business is something of an understatement… it would be difficult to find many aspects of the company, its collections, its marketing or its design language which are still the same as he inherited.”

Indeed, Kern’s Breitling seems to be on a real winning streak at the moment. Not only has Breitling rebooted many of its most iconic watch families – Super Chronomat, Top Time and most recently Navitimer – to great success, but it’s forging an exciting new path for the business with a novel take on boutique design, event management and brand ambassadors.

But Kern isn’t done. Not by a long shot. DMARGE sat down for an exclusive chat with the enterprising Breitling CEO during his recent (surprise) visit to Australia to talk about the way he’s transforming the business, what he thinks needs to change in the luxury watch business, and how the last two years have affected the industry.

On that note: it was Kern’s first time in Australia, and he was quick to emphasise how much he appreciated being able to get boots on the ground Down Under, which has always been a strong market for Breitling.

“You cannot run a company with Zoom. You have to be on the ground to understand, really understand what is going on and you need to see [the] competition, you need to talk to the retailers, etcetera… It’s much more helpful than any Zoom meeting and any Excel sheet or what have you.”

Kern’s visit to Australia was no accident. Sydney’s Breitling boutique, which has long been one of the region’s most successful, is currently being renovated to fit Breitling’s new boutique concept – one of the first in the world, in fact. Casual, rugged and boasting a cool drinks space where customers drop in for a cheeky cocktail, it’s very different to the typical, stuffy image of a watch boutique.

That more casual approach to selling watches is something that’s long been embraced in Australia, but it’s an ethos Kern wants to share with the rest of the world.

“Australia is a very similar market to the UK and the US, we call them outdoor markets,” he explains. “People buy different types of products. Like Italy, it’s more outdoor, it’s bulkier, it’s more male, it’s more relaxed, more casual, all that. Which by the way, fits our strategy anyway.”

“We’re doing very well in Australia. Very well, very well. But we can do much more.”

 Georges Kern – Breitling CEO

It’s weird to hear the CEO of a luxury watchmaker talk about trying to go more casual, but it’s a formula that’s been working pretty well for Breitling under Kern. As the modern definition of luxury is evolving; becoming far less exclusive and much more nuanced, luxury brands need to change.

RELATED: Breitling’s Legendary Navitimer Gets A Makeover For Its 70th Anniversary

This need for change has only accelerated during COVID, where the usual paradigm of luxury watch sales – which depended a lot on tourism, especially for markets like Australia – has been completely upended. Kern’s repositioning of Breitling, however, has let the brand weather the storm better than most.

“We are a local brand. We are not a tourist brand. We don’t depend on any Chinese sales, duty-free, tourism, or what have you,” Kern says. “We have always been a local brand and we want to stay a local brand. We want to be German for Germans, American for Americans, French for French, Australian for Australians.”

“We don’t produce products for a certain community. We are a global brand AND a local brand.”

“What we saw during COVID is that you have local consumption. So much more local than it was in the past. And I think this is there to stay.” Kern points to the real estate market as an example. “If you are afraid to fly to Bali, you buy a house in Europe, in Mallorca, wherever, because it’s closer, you feel more secure, etcetera.”

That’s why Kern’s repositioning of Breitling has been such a masterstroke: in a world where people haven’t been travelling and instead have been spending their travel money on luxury products in their local market, Breitling’s inviting and experiential approach has really set them apart from the competition.

RELATED: Breitling’s New ‘Pastel Paradise’ Watch Collection Is Quietly Brilliant

This even extends to the kind of activities the brand sponsors and the ambassadors they’re bringing on board. “I look at the values of Breitling [as] being sustainable, being casual… We talk about casual luxury and inclusiv[ity]. But inclusive in a way how we are not in tennis, we’re not in Formula 1,” Kern explains.

“We’re in surfing, triathlon, we’ve now signed with the rugby… We are much more approachable in what we are doing… I think these values [have] also helped us during COVID.”

Breitling’s latest signing, NBA champ Giannis Antetokounmpo, builds into this strategy too, Kern relates. “We’re looking for… How should I say? I mean, just cool, nice people. I mean, this guy is the sweetest and nicest guy you can imagine. And this guy’s incredible… Such a human, good heart guy. And top of that super talented. And I think this guy will be the star in the NBA for the next 10 years.”

For many watch insiders, the biggest sign of how Breitling under Kern is really challenging the status quo is the way the brand has eschewed the watch industry’s big trade shows in favour of running their own events. Breitling pulled out of Baselworld after 2019 and didn’t make the move to rival show Watches & Wonders this year.

Instead, Breitling held their own ‘do in Zürich: taking over a corner of Kloten Airport and cheekily chartering a few Swiss Airlines jumbo jets to fly journalists to Geneva while presenting their new Navitimer collection in the air a day before W&W ’22, stealing a bit of the fair’s thunder in the process – a characteristically Kern move.

“We’re totally independent because I don’t think you need a fair anymore to see journalists or clients or to reach out to consumers.”

“We have our roadshows, we have our summits, it’s super-efficient. And top of that we launch products when they’re available. So it’s from catwalk to the store.” Breitling’s continued upwards trajectory under Kern shows they must be doing something right.

What’s next for Breitling? Kern teased that they’re going to announce another high-profile American sporting ambassador and that they’re also re-launching another very important collection later on in the year. Watch this space…

• Breitling’s Legendary Navitimer Gets A Makeover For Its 70th Anniversary
• Brad Pitt Casually Flexes New Breitling Watch At The US Open

The post The Luxury Watch Industry Needs To Change, Says Breitling CEO appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Why are we drawn to the bad guy? Be honest: there’s definitely at least one villainous character that you have a soft spot for; despite the character being absolutely despicable.

For example, Joker from The Dark Knight or Loki from the Marvel Cinematic Universe – these characters are murderous, conniving villains and yet, there are multitudes of people who practically worship them.

Associate Professor of Film Studies and Director of the Film Studies Program at the University of Sydney, Dr Bruce Issacs, thinks there are a few reasons as to why people love the bad guys… One of them is because they do what we’re desperate to do but aren’t brave enough to: rebel.

“The ‘bad’ figure – say, an anti-hero – is attractive because they’re rebellious by their nature – they run against the grain of the norm and challenge systems of authority… So there’s a very ‘cool’ kind of deviance, I think, underpinning this ‘bad’ figure.”

Another reason? Bad guys get to have more fun; they get the killer (pun intended) lines, interesting & bold costumes, and are just way more exciting in comparison to the vanilla, by-the-book protagonists.

“The anti-hero is always the more colourful, flamboyant, zany, expressive [one] – and this is almost always the case, especially in mainstream studio movies. So, think Ledger’s Joker vs Bale’s Batman; or Alex in A Clockwork Orange.”

Dr Bruce Issacs

Plus, according to research published in ​​Psychological Science, it’s proven that we are drawn to villains who share similar character traits to us – for example, if you see yourself as chaotic at times, the Joker and Loki will resonate with you; likewise, if you see yourself as overly ambitious you may relate to Lord Voldemort from Harry Potter.

However, because the villain is fictional, loving them or relating to them allows us to acknowledge those ‘darker’ characteristics we may have without tarnishing our self-image; we obviously would never idolise real-life murderers, even if we shared some traits with them, because at a fundamental level we don’t want to be associated with them in any way.

But because villains are fictional and – as Dr Issacs pointed out – eccentric and fun, it’s alluring and enticing to share similarities with them.

So, if there is a villainous character (or two) that sprang to mind when you first started reading this article, it turns out you probably share some traits with that character and enjoy seeing those aspects of your personality in a character that’s also rebellious and exciting…

• Why Casino Royale Is The Best James Bond Film
• All Batman Films Ranked & Where To Watch Them

The post Why Villainous Characters Are So Damn Lovable appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Tom Brady and Lewis Hamilton have a lot in common – chiefly, that they’re both the Greatest Of All Time in each of their sports.

Hamilton’s list of accomplishments and his effect on Formula One is almost incomparable. The British driver holds the outright records for the most wins, pole positions and podium finishes, and ties with Michael Schumacher for all-time World Championship driver’s titles – 7 titles. He’s helped Mercedes win a record seven constructor’s championships in a row and is also widely credited as fuelling the intense rise in popularity of F1 over the last decade.

Brady’s dominance in American football also has few comparisons. The only quarterback to win a Super Bowl in three separate decades, Brady’s career has seen a record ten Super Bowl appearances and seven victories. He also holds the all-time records for passing yards, completions, touchdown passes, games started and Super Bowl MVP awards. His two-decade dominance with the New England Patriots – as well as his controversial but ultimately successful move to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers – make him unlike any other NFL player ever.

They’re both champs of almost unparalleled magnitude. Turns out they’ve also got a similar taste in watches, as Brady’s latest horological pickup reveals.

Brady shared a photo of himself behind the scenes on the set of Eighty For Brady – the film he’s producing and playing himself in – flexing his muscles and showing off a new IWC Schaffhausen Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Top Gun Edition “Mojave Desert” (ref. IW503004).

RELATED: GOAT Quarterback Tom Brady To Produce & Star In New Film

This hefty timepiece features a full perpetual calendar with displays for the date, day and month; the year in four digits; a perpetual moon phase for both the northern and southern hemisphere; and even a power reserve indicator and small hacking seconds integrated into the 3 and 9 o’clock subdials respectively.

The scratch-resistant, sand-coloured ceramic case; tough textile and rubber strap; seven-day power reserve and anti-reflective sapphire crystal further mark the watch out as not just an example of haute horlogerie but a real tough cookie.

This particular Mojave also happens to be Lewis Hamilton’s favourite watch. Like Brady, Sir Lewis is an IWC ambassador and has a pretty healthy collection of watches (including more than a few rare IWC pieces), but the watch he’s most commonly seen wearing is his Mojave perpetual calendar.

Indeed, Hamilton and Brady joined each other for a spot of golf in Miami ahead of this weekend’s inaugural F1 Miami Grand Prix, both GOATs wearing their Mojaves whilst shooting the breeze and avoiding the bunkers.

Coincidentally, Brady also owns a time-only version of the Mojave Desert, which he was last seen wearing as he joined fellow footballing great Aaron Rodgers for a charity 18-hole game in Montana last year. More on that watch (and game of golf) here.

• Tom Brady Comes Out Of Retirement After Talking With Cristiano Ronaldo
• What Watches Do The World’s Richest Men Wear?

The post Tom Brady Wears Lewis Hamilton’s Favourite IWC Schaffhausen Watch appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Moon Knight, the sixth television series that takes place within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), stars Oscar Issac as Marc Spector/Steven Grant – a man who suffers from dissociative identity disorder and also fights crime as a vigilante named Moon Knight.

As the MCU is notorious for having multiple connections between its films and series, we will recap and review each episode of Moon Knight as its released weekly and exclusively on Disney+ as well as point out the many easter eggs hidden throughout the series.

Episode Six:

Review & Recap:

First off, I have to admit this episode wasn’t as strong as previous Moon Knight episodes but it was still highly enjoyable. The last episode, Asylum, was very emotionally driven, so it’s no surprise that this episode was more action-packed. Of course, Oscar Isaac gave an incredible performance – I mention it every week – but May Calamay’s performance in this episode was exceptionally good.

Moon Knight wrapped up most of its loose ends nicely but there are aspects of the show that I hope are explored further in a second season or future Moon Knight film… In terms of a recap, Layla decides to fight Harrow alone, but after getting a message from Taweret, wisely chooses to free Khonshu to have some backup in the fight; although she does reject to be Khonshu’s new avatar. In the afterlife, Marc goes back for Steven and after a heartfelt speech from Marc, their heart glows gold and they are essentially brought back to life.

Then as Moon Knight, Marc/Steven instantly goes to help battle both Harrow and Ammit. In the meantime, Layla agrees to be Taweret’s temporary avatar and in one of the best battle scenes the MCU’s done in a long time, Layla and Moon Knight take on Harrow. Eventually, Harrow’s defeated, and by doing a spell to imprison Ammit into Harrow’s body, Layla and Moon Knight have won; although Marc/Steven refuses to kill Harrow/Ammit despite Khonshu’s wishes.

Marc/Steven then are released by Khonshu and at first wake up back in Dr Harrow’s office from the last two episodes but then after deciding not to accept Harrow’s diagnosis, Marc/Steven wake up in Steven’s apartment, chained to the bed, perfectly mirroring the beginning of episode one.

The mid-credits scene then shows us Harrow as a patient in a psychiatric hospital. He is then escorted out of the building into a limousine by a mysterious figure. It’s implied this figure has killed multiple bodyguards at the hospital just to get Harrow and once Harrow’s in the limo, it’s revealed that this figure is Jake Lockley – Marc and Steven’s third personality. Jake is still happily working for Khonshu and kills Harrow (and therefore, kills Ammit too).

This cliffhanger of an ending suggests (slash I’m desperately hoping) that Moon Knight will get a second season or the character will appear in future MCU projects.

Easter Eggs:

Is Kang The Conqueror The New Thanos?

Throughout Moon Knight, there have been QR codes that you can scan and then download a free Marvel comic book. In episode six, the QR code allows access to Moon Knight Annual #1 – a comic book where Moon Knight has an epic battle with Kang with Conqueror.

Kang was first introduced in the MCU in the series Loki and it’s confirmed he’ll appear in the upcoming MCU film Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania. It’s also rumoured that Kang will be the new Thanos; meaning he’ll be the big bad and a number of Avengers will have to team up to take him down (just like they did to take down Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame).

We Finally Met Jake Lockley!

Moon Knight has been hinting since the first episode that Marc Spector/Steven Grant has a third personality and most fans – us included – predicted it would be Jake Lockley. We finally got to see Jake Lockley in a mid-credits scene! The way the series ended – teasing us with this new character – we’re hoping there will be a season two of Moon Knight that’ll explore the ‘Jake’ personality deeper.

Episode Five: Asylum

Review & Recap:

Episode five of Moon Knight is extremely emotional and cleverly allows us, the audience, to learn more about Marc and Steven’s past. The episode was executed perfectly with stunning cinematography and special effects, a moving score and Oscar Isaac’s flawless performance.

Plus, there’s still an element of mystery as it’s not been 100% confirmed whether Marc and Steven are in the afterlife; Moon Knight is still taunting us that this could all be taking place in Marc’s head and he really is just in a psychiatric hospital. Although, I personally think that’s unlikely.

In terms of a recap, the episode starts off pretty much where episode four ended. Marc is in Dr Harrow’s office and is told he keeps swinging between sense and nonsense. Unable to deal with the news he’s ‘crazy’, Marc slips back to the ‘reality’ from the previous episode where the greek goddess Taweret tells Marc and Steven they are in the afterlife/the realm of Duat, travelling on a boat through sand and must get their scales to balance, otherwise, they won’t reach the Field of Reeds; they’ll instead spend eternity in the sand.

To do so, Marc and Steven must confront their past and we learn that Marc’s brother tragically drowned. Marc’s mother blamed him for the death and started beating him. As a coping mechanism, Marc created Steven as a personality he could slip into. We also learn how Khonshu saved him from death so long as Marc became the “Moon Knight” (we finally heard the words spoken out loud during the show for the first time!!!).

In a tragic scene, we see that Marc slipped into Steven’s personality after his mother’s death; which took place roughly a few weeks before the first episode of Moon Knight. And finally, while trying to get back to the real world to stop Harrow and Ammit from killing millions, Steven falls overboard into the sand and ‘dies’. Then the scales finally balance and the episode ends with Marc reaching the Field of Reeds alone.

Easter Eggs:

Reference To Black Panther

When Marc and Steven are talking to Taweret about the afterlife she mentions the “Ancestral Plane”. The Ancestral Plane is featured in Black Panther and which both T’Challa and Killmonger experience after taking the Heart-Shaped Herb.

Confirmation The MCU Has Kept Moon Knight’s Origin From The Comics The Same

In previous episodes of Moon Knight, it’s pretty clear that the MCU was hinting that how Marc became Moon Knight is practically the same as in the comic books. In episode five, we finally got to see it on screen. Just like in the comics, Bushman (Marc’s fellow mercenary) went rogue and killed everybody on the dig including Layla’s (named Marlene in the comics) father. Marc tries to stop him but Bushman shoots Marc; Marc bleeding out and dying is then saved by Khonshu in return for becoming his Moon Knight.

The First Episode Foreshadowed Steven’s ‘Death’

Steven ends up falling overboard and doesn’t make it to the Field of Reeds like Marc but this was eerily foreshadowed in the first episode of Moon Knight. When teaching a girl about Ancient Egypt at the museum, she says to Steven, “And did it suck for you? Getting rejected from the Field of Reeds?”

Episode Four: The Tomb

Review & Recap:

This has been the best episode of Moon Knight yet. Giving off incredible Indiana Jones vibes as Marc/Steven and Layla make their way into Ammit’s tomb, the episode has everything you could want from a comic book adaptation: action, humour, romance and jump scares. Then, of course, it featured the brilliant plot twist ending that has made us all question what’s real and what’s not.

As for a recap, the episode begins by revealing there are a number of gods that have been imprisoned in stone; it’s not just Khonshu. Then we see Layla and Marc/Steven make their way to Ammit’s tomb, Layla and Steven share a kiss for the first time, they encounter an undead priest and it’s revealed that Marc was indeed present when Layla’s father was killed.

Steven does manage to retrieve Ammit before Harrow but is then ambushed by Harrow and his men. Marc attempts to fight them off but Harrow shoots Marc/Steven twice. We then see a snippet of a film where the protagonist is named Steven Grant. It’s revealed this film is playing in a psychiatric hospital and Marc is a patient there. Marc quickly runs from Dr Harrow (yes, Arthur Harrow is shown to be Marc’s doctor) and finds Steven in a separate (but identical looking) body in a sarcophagus. The two then encounter the Egyptian god, Taweret.

Easter Eggs:

Another Nod To Moon Knight’s Comic Book Origin

In episode four, we get confirmation that Layla’s father was murdered during a dig and that Marc was present. Marc also says “I was supposed to die that night”. This is a direct nod to the comic book origin of Moon Knight, where Marc’s colleague goes rogue and kills the archaeologist Dr Peter Alraune (father of Marc’s love interest in the comics, Marlene). Marc is also shot by this colleague and almost dies but is saved by Khonshu, which leads him to take on the Moon Knight mantle.

Nod To 2016 Moon Knight Comic Book Series

Near the end of episode four, Marc wakes up in a psychiatric hospital and there are many things (like the statue performer from episode one, Steven’s former boss Donna, a drawing of Khonshu etc.) that suggest the entirety of the series thus far hasn’t happened at all and has been some sort of dream or hallucination that Marc’s experienced. This storyline is explored in a 2016 Moon Knight comic series by Jeff Lemire.

Will Jake Lockley Make An Appearance?

There have been many subtle hints that Marc and Steven have a third personality (who stabbed Harrow’s men and asked out Steven’s colleague on a date) and episode four gave us yet another one. Marc opens a rattling sarcophagus and trapped inside is Steven. As Marc and Steven navigate their way through the hospital, they see another sarcophagus with someone rattling it from the inside. While Marc and Steven don’t open it, the appearance of the second sarcophagus suggests there’s a third personality we, the audience, haven’t met yet – most likely Jake, from the comics.

Episode One Foreshadowed Taweret

Back in episode one of Moon Knight, Donna asks Steven for a box of hippo toys and Steven corrects her that the toy is actually the Egyptian god, Taweret. Episode four ends with Marc and Steven coming face to face with Taweret.

Episode Three: The Friendly Type

Review & Recap:

Episode three was incredibly well-paced, full of incredible action scenes, beautiful imagery (Moon Knight’s cape in the full crescent shape – breathtaking!) and Oscar Isaac’s acting was remarkable. He’s completely believable as both Marc and Steven, and during one moment we see the actor transform from Marc to Steven onscreen and… it was flawless. I really have no words other than Isaac deserves so much praise.

In terms of a recap, episode three starts with Layla forging a passport so she can join Marc in Egypt and help stop Arthur Harrow from freeing Ammit. This is the first episode where Marc is in control of the body for most of the episode and we see him try to get some information from some of Harrow’s men and meet the other avatars for various Egyptian gods. We’re also introduced to Anton Mogart – in the comics, Mogart is also known as Midnight Man and is one of Moon Knight’s foes – and after Harrow turns up, things turn bleak; forcing Marc and Layla to fight Mogart and his men.

We briefly see Steven in control of the body; he helps Layla figure out the Senfu map that’ll lead them to Ammit’s tomb and helps Khonshu turn back the stars. And finally, Khonshu was imprisoned in a statue by the other Egyptian gods; and Harrow gloats about this in an emotional and well-acted scene that ended the episode.

Easter Eggs:

Layla Is Definitely Marlene

After the first two episodes of Moon Knight, many came to the conclusion that Layla must be the MCU’s version of Marlene Alraune. We practically got confirmation of this in episode three, as in the opening scene we learn that Layla’s father was a notable archaeologist; just like Marlene’s father was in the comics. It’s also hinted throughout the episode that Layla’s father was killed and Marc was present, which also lines up with the comic books.

Does Marc/Steven Have A Third Personality?

There’s a scene where Marc regains control of his body and is covered in blood. He’s clearly killed the men he was trying to get information from but has no memory of stabbing them; similar to in episode one when Steven had no memory of what Marc had done whilst in control of the body. However, killing is very out of character for Steven; so much so, that Marc asks Steven “what did you do?” to which Steven replies, “I swear. That wasn’t me.”

This begs the question of whether there’s a third personality that we haven’t met yet. In the comics, Marc has a third notable persona/personality, Jake Lockley. This could be the MCU hinting that Jake will soon make an appearance as well; this seems especially likely when you consider we still don’t know who asked Steven’s museum colleague on a date or what happened to Steven’s one-finned fish…

Overvoid Reference

In the comics, the Egyptian gods hail from a place called Celestial Heliopolis AKA the Overvoid and it’s similar to Asgard – where Nordic gods like Thor and Loki come from. In episode three of Moon Knight, when Khonshu is speaking through Marc to the avatars for Hathor, Horus, Isis, Tefnut, and Osiris, he says, “Return from the opulence of the Overvoid before you lose the realm”. This establishes that the MCU is following the comics and that all the Egyptian ‘gods’ are just like Thor – aliens interpreted by humans as gods – and they reside there.

Another Link To Falcon & The Winter Soldier

Last week’s episode featured a GRC ad linking Moon Knight to previous MCU series, Falcon & The Winter Solider and episode three has again given us a clear connection between the two series. Bek mentions that Layla last saw Mogart in Madripoor; which is, of course, where Sharon Carter ruled the city’s underworld as the Power Broker.

Episode Two: Summon The Suit

Review & Recap:

The second episode of Moon Knight was just as good as the first. Just like the previous episode, Summon The Suit was action-packed, funny and compelling.

We’re slowly getting more pieces of the puzzle; Steven got fired from the gift shop but therefore has more time to uncover what’s going on. He found Marc’s storage locker along with a passport, guns and the scarab that was featured in episode one.

This episode also introduced us to Layla – Marc’s wife. Steven is then taken by some detectives who turn out to be working for Arthur Harrow and he explicitly tells Steven his plan that he’s desperate to complete for the Egyptian goddess, Ammit. The plan is to kill all ‘bad’ people before they even do the things that make them ‘bad’ – it’s actually very reminiscent of Philip K. Dick’s The Minority Report.

Harrow tells Steven he needs the scarab to find Ammit’s tomb and Steven essentially says that the plan is barbaric and that he doesn’t have the scarab. Harrow also confides that before Marc, Harrow was the “avatar” for Khonshu. All the while, Marc is begging Steven for control of the body.

Layla barges in and tells Steven to “summon the suit”, which he does but it’s a literal suit, not the suit we saw briefly in episode one, which leads to a humorous exchange between Marc and Steven. Steven fights the jackal and tries to protect Layla, but after getting hit by a car he finally relents and gives Marc control.

Marc/Steven during the battle with the jackal loses the scarab, and Harrow ends up finding it, which displeases Khonshu. The episode ends with Marc in Egypt who plans to stop Harrow before he reaches Ammit’s tomb.

Easter Eggs:

Many Nods To The Comics

Firstly, when Steven finds Marc’s passport it says that he’s from Illinois. In the comic books, Marc was born in Chicago, Illinois.

Secondly, the two ‘detectives’ who take Steven to Arthur Harrow are listed in the credits as Billy and Bobbi. In the comics, while Marc was imprisoned by Ammit in a mental hospital, two orderlies who worked there and served the Egyptian goddess were also named Billy and Bobbi.

Thirdly, if you take a close look at the Interpol file that’s pulled up on route to Harrow, Marc’s file number is 1975, which is the year Moon Knight made his debut in the Marvel comics.

Fourthly, Moon Knight’s comic book origin story is also referenced in this episode; Bobbi says that Marc is wanted for executing archaeologists during an Egyptian dig. In the comics, Marc was working in Sudan when a fellow mercenary Raul Bushman killed the archaeologist Dr Peter Alraune.

Marc stepped in to stop Raul from killing Peter’s daughter but Raul retaliated by badly wounding Marc; this is when Marc encounters Khonshu and is granted immortality if he takes up the Moon Knight mantle. Hopefully this small reference and the fact that Marc says to Steven, “It’s not what you think,” means that in future episodes we’ll see how Marc became the Moon Knight.

And finally, the bus that’s in the background when Steven is fighting the jackal has the bus number, “WBN0032” which is a nod to the Marvel comic, Werewolf By Night #32 – the comic Moon Knight first appeared in.

Arthur Harrow Most Likely Uses ‘Dark Magic’

It may just be a coincidence but when Harrow summons a jackal, his magic is a bright shade of purple. The same purple that Agatha Harkness’ magic was which was confirmed to be ‘dark magic’ in WandaVision. This suggests that the magic Ammit has given Harrow is also dark magic.

A Reference To Falcon & The Winter Solider And Confirmation Of Moon Knight’s Timeline

When Steven is fighting the jackal, there’s a bus in the background bearing an advertisement for the “GRC”. The GRC or Global Repatriation Council is an organisation that was founded to help deal with the aftermath of both Thanos’ snap and Tony Stark’s snap that brought everyone who was blipped back. The organisation was first introduced in Falcon & The Winter Soldier which is a nice, subtle reference but, ultimately, the appearance of this ad confirms that Moon Knight takes place after the events of Avengers: Endgame.

Episode One: The Goldfish Problem

Review & Recap:

Overall, the first episode of Moon Knight was compelling, fresh and original; overall extremely enjoyable. It perfectly balanced mystery, humour and action while slowly introducing us to this next chapter of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

While we may not have gotten a lot of answers, Moon Knight introduced us to a lovable, down-on-his-luck character, Steven Grant who seems to suffer from dissociative identity disorder. Steven works at a museum, somehow finds himself in the alps with armed men after him because he stole a scarab, watches a weird cult leader perform ‘judgement’ and narrowly escapes from both the men and cult leader in a cupcake truck.

Steven wakes up in his bed and brushes the whole thing off as a weird dream but then encounters the cult leader at his work, rushes home, finds a mobile phone that does not belong to him and slowly realises he may have another persona, a mercenary named Marc.

Overall, it was a great first episode for an MCU series. If you haven’t watched it yet, do so immediately as we’ll now delve into all the easter eggs hidden in the episode, so there are massive spoilers ahead.

Easter Eggs:

The Theory Of Pain

The compelling but puzzling opening to Moon Knight shows an unnamed character performing a ritual that ends with him putting broken shards of glass into a pair of shoes, putting those shoes on and then walking away. Later in the episode, it’s revealed this was Ethan Hawke’s character – whose name was not spoken in the first episode but Marvel has confirmed Hawke is playing ‘Arthur Harrow’.

In the comics, Arthur Harrow is a mad scientist who conducts Nazi experiments and is obsessed with the theory of pain. Obviously, the MCU has changed his character completely as in Moon Knight he’s the leader of some sort of cult… But looks like they’ve kept Harrow’s obsession with pain with the walking on glass scene.

A Hint Of How Egyptian Gods Will Be Brought Into The MCU

The MCU expertly introduced mythic Norse gods like Thor, Loki and Hela into its universe and we may now know how the franchise plans to bring Egyptian gods into the mix. There are constant references to the ‘Ennead’ – which Steven even describes in the first episode as a “super-group” – and in the Marvel comics, the Ennead were gods who could travel to Ancient Egypt, Earth via a gateway from their dimension, the Celestial Heliopolis.

This means the MCU could be hinting that Egyptian gods – just like Thor, Loki and Hela – aren’t really gods; they are aliens from another world that came to Earth and had alien powers that caused local humans to worship them like gods.

A Nice Nod To The Comics

In some of the Moon Knight comics, the only way for Marc to communicate with Khonshu (the moon god Marc works for) was by talking to a statue of the Egyptian god but, as later in the episode confirmed, the MCU version of Marc (and Steven) can hear Khonshu’s voice inside his head. So, seeing Steven talk to a street performer whose whole schtick is pretending to be a statue was a nice homage to the comic books.

Will Duchamp Make An Appearance?

As Steven is scrolling through Marc’s phone, there are missed calls mostly from Layla – who is most likely the MCU version of Marlene Alraune; Marc’s love interest in the comics – but there is one missed call from ‘Duchamp’. In some of the Moon Knight comics, Marc doesn’t have superpowers; he instead pays Jean-Paul Duchamp, nicknamed ‘Frenchie’, to develop cool tech for Marc to fight crime with – similar to how Q develops all of James Bond’s spy gadgets.

It’s unclear whether the MCU Marc has superpowers or just uses gadgets to complete his missions, so the ‘Duchamp’ missed call may be a clue that Frenchie will be introduced in a future episode. Or it may just be a nod to the comics for diehard comic fans…

Arthur Harrow DIDN’T Mention Thanos

When Harrow corners Steven at the museum and discusses the god, Ammit, he says, “Had Ammit been free, she would’ve prevented Hitler, the destruction he wrought, Nero, the Armenian genocide, Pol Pot…” Harrow mentions all of these devastating events in human history but doesn’t mention Thanos’ snap that erased half of all life?!

This may just be the directors and writers trying to keep Moon Knight separate from the MCU for now and allowing Moon Knight to establish its own story before connecting it to the larger universe. But it potentially could also be a clue that the series is taking place before the snap…

• Everything You Need To Know About Marvel’s New Hero ‘Moon Knight’
• Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool May Be Joining The MCU

The post Moon Knight Review, Recap & Easter Eggs You May Have Missed appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

As a general rule of thumb, investing consistently in the stock market (in a diversified manner) has been the best way to create massive wealth. However, for a lucky (or very smart) few, an early investment in the world’s most well-known cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, has seen them generate some serious returns.

The stories of people who’ve seen their net worth explode from an early Bitcoin (BTC) investment certainly aren’t hard to find  – they’re plastered all over the internet: driving crypto-related FOMO to new all-time-highs. 

In fact, Bitcoin is now officially the best-performing investment choice of the past decade, eclipsing all other high growth assets by a factor of well over 1000%.

So, how much money would you have today if you’d invested just $10 US Dollars ($14 AUD) in Bitcoin when it first hit the market?

Hint… it’s a lot. 

Here’s how much $10 worth of day-one Bitcoin is worth now

Bitcoin first became available for public purchase in July 2010 at a price of $0.0008 USD ($0.0011 AUD) per Bitcoin. That’s right, you could pick up a whole Bitcoin for just less than one-tenth of a cent. Now, if we exclude any transaction fees, a measly $10 investment on its day one would have bagged you a grand total of 12,500 Bitcoin.

As of 3pm on Wednesday the 4th of May – the current time of writing – a single Bitcoin was trading for $38,276 USD ($53,792 AUD). That $10 investment held for roughly 11 years and 10 months has gained 4,784,500,000% and would now be worth $478,045,000 ($672,786,191 AUD). 

That’s right, if you’d thrown just $10 into Bitcoin on day one (and you still somehow didn’t sell it) you’d be sitting on a nearly half-a-billion dollar fortune. 

Now, if you were a real risk-taker and you’d decided to invest $1000 on day one – provided you had the hardest “diamond hands” of all time — you’d be the 26th richest person in the world, flexing a casual $47.8 billion ($67.3 billion AUD) net-worth, ranked just behind Chinese tech billionaire Zhang Yiming.

What’s even more incredible is, if you’d sold your initial $1000 worth of Bitcoin when it reached its all-time high of $69,044 ($97,114 AUD) on November 10 last year, you would have been worth $86.3 billion ($121.5 billion AUD) officially securing your place as the 11th richest person in the world.

$10 can go a long way (if you forget about it)

While it’s always nice to imagine ourselves – with the benefit of hindsight – as being just an unlucky potential billionaire, Bitcoin’s rise was not obvious. In fact, its meteoric growth was completely unpredictable, except to a very select few.

It’s also worth noting that there’s literally no way any regular person wouldn’t have sold their Bitcoin when it was up an already insane 100,000% in 2016. The only way most people would have seen those exponential returns is if they’d completely forgotten about it altogether, only to remember it years later.

With all of this in mind, it might not be the worst investment strategy to occasionally throw a casual 10 bucks at the next crazy new technology you hear about and then close your eyes and forget you ever did it.

There are bound to be assets similar to this that crop up in the future, so who knows where you might end up?

DISCLAIMER: The information in this article is intended to be general in nature and is not personal financial product advice. It does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs.

• Elon Musk Explains Why He’s Not Selling His Bitcoin Right Now
• Bitcoin Price Prediction AUD: Where BTC Can End Up In 2022

The post If You Bought $10 Of Bitcoin In 2010, This Is How Much Money You’d Have Now appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Jason Bateman has had an incredibly successful career. His typical role has evolved a lot though, over the last 40 years. It’s rather interesting, for instance, how the actor – best known for comedic roles – ended up playing the manipulative money launderer, Marty Byrde on Ozark.

Bateman started acting at just twelve years old on the television show, Little House On The Prairie. He then moved on to small film and television roles here and there (mostly in comedies and sitcoms) until he landed a leading role on the late 1980s sitcom, Valerie [later renamed The Hogan Family]. This role on Valerie as David Hogan – a girl-crazy teen – truly cemented Bateman as a comedic actor.

Although, Bateman’s breakthrough role – the one that made him ‘famous’ – came almost a decade after Valerie ended. It came in the form of the character Michael Bluth from the sitcom, Arrested Development. Bateman excelled as Bluth; so much so that he won a Golden Globe for his performance.

However, the Bluth character – a dry, uptight and critical (but somehow lovable) guy – kind of allowed Bateman to get typecast over the years. In all honesty, Bateman’s respective characters in Arrested Development, Extract, The Break-Up, Couples Retreat, Horrible Bosses, The Change-Up, Identity Thief, Office Christmas Party and Game Night are very similar, if not the exact same character, just with different names and backgrounds.

That’s not to say that all of those films aren’t enjoyable; they are. And Bateman is enjoyable in all of them too, as he plays that type of deadpan but anal character to perfection. But Bateman can play other characters exceptionally well too.

Just look at his character Pepper Brooks in Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story or Mark Loring in Juno; while both of those films are comedies, both Pepper and Mark are very different to the usual characters Bateman plays – and Bateman is still excellent.

Despite doing some roles – like Pepper and Mark – that showed his range, Bateman was very aware that he was being typecast in comedies. This is why the actor took the role of Marty Byrde in Ozark. To prove that he has other abilities as an actor; and, oh boy, did he succeed.

Bateman has been nominated for Oustanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series at the Emmy Awards three times for playing Marty and has received universal critical acclaim.

Although surprisingly, while Bateman has starred in his fair share of comedies – and is best known as a comedic actor – Ozark wasn’t his first foray into drama. Bateman did an excellent job in both State of Play and The Gift – films where Bateman got to play darker, more serious roles.

However, as he wasn’t in a lead role in either film, Bateman never got the accolades he deserved. Thankfully, he’s getting them now because of Ozark; although, we’re truly bummed that Ozark is over and we won’t see Bateman as Marty again.

Only time will tell whether Bateman falls back into his classic typecast role or whether he’ll continue to act in more dramas. Either way, we’re sure he’ll nail it and can’t wait to see what’s next.

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The post Jason Bateman Career Arc: How He Went From Goofball To Gangster appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

The aviation industry has changed a lot over time. Smoking used to be rampant, you never used to be able to find edamame chicken sandwiches, and everything used to have a classy allure.

The marketing industry has changed a lot too. Airlines have moved beyond “sex sells” and are now far more considered in their public relations.

All this in mind, there are a few airlines that, looking back, you’ll scarcely believe existed.

From Hooters’ Air and Casino Express Airlines to Vietnam’s bikini airline (which is actually still around), here are five airlines you’ll find hard to believe ever got past the ideation stage.

Smokers Express (1993-1993)

The wacky brainchild of two Florida businessmen (one of them a former Walt Disney executive), the concept behind Smokers Express was to give customers the ability to smoke from start to finish of a flight – a freedom that had been taken away in 1990 when the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) banned smoking on almost all domestic flights.

The airline would be exclusively for smokers. To get around the smoking ban, it was “membership only” (i.e. not public). Members would have to pay $25 to join, and you had to be at least 21 years old to do so.

William Walts and George “Mickey” Richardson (the dynamic duo who founded it) figured they could hand out free cigarettes, offer full-size ashtrays and make a tonne of money selling ad space on the outside of their aeroplanes, just like race cars did.

Smokers Express was also meant to have VIP lounges free headphones, movies in flight, complimentary newspapers and “real food for real people” (steak, burgers, sub and pizza). Also up for grabs were free lotto tickets for each passenger, free destination maps and a non-smoking section at the back.

Profits the airline made were planned to go to charities.

It all sounded (other than the whole lung cancer thing) fabulous. But it never got off the ground. Its first-ever scheduled flight was cancelled due to lack of demand, and interest never improved enough for the airline to be viable. Given the first flight was for a $345 round trip ticket for people to fly to Washington from North Carolina to protest then-president Bill Clinton’s proposed tobacco tax increase, perhaps the company was also a bit too political to be successful.

Hooters Air (2003 – 2006)

Hooters, the American restaurant chain known for its hot wings and tank tops, had a crack at running an airline in the early 2000s. Hooters Air was based in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and offered cheap, direct flights to 15 destinations in the US. These destinations included Las Vegas and Denver. Tickets were a flat rate of $129 each way. But Hooters Air didn’t last long. After about three years it became a $40 million dollar failure.

While it was running, the airline was run by a normal flight crew (not actually by Hooters’ staff). To justify the branding, alongside the flight crew, each flight had two Hooters servers from a nearby Hooters on board. They weren’t trained as flight attendants though so they couldn’t push the drinks cart or open the cabin doors. Their job was to “entertain and ask trivia questions and all that” one Hooters girl told local media at the time.

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Bob Brookes, who had bought Hooters years before starting Hooters Air, started Hooters Air by buying small, North Carolina-based charter airline called Pace Airlines (and repainting it with the Hooters Air logo) in 2003. By 2006 he gave up on the venture and Hooters Air was no more.

Casino Express Airlines (1989-2005)

Casino Express was a bit like Smokers Express, except it actually succeeded for a time. It began on a Boeing 737-200 and the airline flew for Red Lion Hotel and Casino in Elko, Nevada. According to Gizmodo, Casino Express Airlines “flew nonstop flights between Elko and nearby cities like Portland, Oregon, Seattle, Santa Fe, and El Paso.”

The flights were very cheap for the era, with the company banking on travellers frittering away money in the casino.

The ploy worked – but in the end not enough to maintain profitability. Eventually, Casino Express Airlines was deemed to be not worth the dynamite to blow your hat off, and was sold to Xtra Airways.

Pet Airways (2009 – unknown)

Pet Airways started in 2009. Its mission? To be the first airline to just transport pets – and not human passengers – in specially equipped main cabins. They didn’t last long though, which is a shame because their Shelter-Pet Relocation Program was a good initiative which, according to Readers Digest, “provided life-saving flights for rescue pets by sending them from cities with too much supply to cities where the demand is high for adoption.”

RELATED: New Aviation Laws Spark ‘Furry’ Debate In Australia

We’re not sure exactly when Pet Airways went bust but its Twitter account is still active, so maybe some day they’ll make a come back.

Vietjet Air (2011 – to date)

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Vietjet Air is an airline that is still alive and kicking. It was founded in 2007 and commenced operations in 2011. When it first started, it became the second private airline to offer domestic service in Vietnam. It has also, over the years, become known for its risque advertising, which has featured flight attendants in bikinis.

RELATED: ‘Bikini’ Airline Spends $6.5 Billion On Jets… & An Untold Sum On Dancing Flight Attendants

Despite the controversy around its advertising, one Insider writer who flew on Vietjet Air wrote that it’s not as wild as it is sometimes made out to be, calling it a good choice if you are after an inexpensive, quirky airline.

The same writer added that there were “hidden fees for add-ons like checked bags and drinks” which help claw back money on the cheap fares and that “one of my three flights was significantly delayed.” They also pointed out that “flight attendants on most Vietjet flights do not actually wear bikinis.”

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The post 5 Wild Airlines You Won’t Believe Actually Existed appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Australia is a wine-drinking country. Wine has long eclipsed beer as the alcohol of choice Down Under, and we’re rather voracious when it comes to the stuff, drinking on average over 28 litres of wine per capita per annum.

While we consume a wide variety of, well, varieties of wine in Australia, there are a few that reign supreme: Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, and of course, Shiraz… French varieties dominate tend to dominate Australian cellars, and virtually all of the most-produced grape varieties in Australia are French.

But what about German varieties? Aside from Riesling, which is exceptionally popular, most Australians are reasonably ignorant of German wine varieties, or German wine broadly. Indeed, many would consider German wine to be a sort of strange oxymoron; something to avoid. Like French beer…

But this is short-sighted. Not only does Germany produce great wine, but Australian-made German varieties are some of the tastiest and underrated wines this country produces (and again, we’re not just talking Riesling). With that in mind, we’d like to shine a light on one of the most underrated German wine varietals that Aussies should really start paying more attention to: Gewürztraminer.

Typically sweet, off-dry and very fragrant, Gewürztraminer (pronounced ‘geh-voorts-trah-meener’, often just called Gewürz or ‘Gee Whizz’) is a floral and tropical white wine that, somewhat counter-intuitively thanks to its Teutonic origins, is perfectly suited for pairing with Southeast Asian cuisine – something Aussies consume a lot of. Indeed, Gewürztraminer’s most prominent aroma closely resembles lychees.

Thanks to its versatile and appealing qualities, Australian wineries are also increasingly producing Gewürztraminers, and we reckon it’s likely to be the next big thing in wine (even if it’s still a bit niche). It’s quickly become one of my go-to wine styles.

We could spend all day singing Gewürztraminer’s praises, but like most things wine, it’s best if you just go and try some for yourself. But what we’re curious about is why Gewürztraminer – which is reasonably well known in other parts of the world, like the United States – isn’t better known here. Indeed, why isn’t German wine better known Down Under?

DMARGE spoke with Dan Swincer, Head Winemaker at legendary Australian winery Jacob’s Creek (which has just released a rather delicious Gewürztraminer of their own) about why Gewürztraminer/German wine continues to fly under the radar in Australia.

“It could be said that historically we have been a little Franco-centric with the grape varieties planted and most dominant in the Australian wine industry,” he suggests.

“But that is not to say it is due to climate or terroir, [it’s] more determined by the planting material imported and on hand at the time, and the demands of the market. In fact, you could say that some Spanish and southern Italian varieties are more suitable to some areas of the warmer Australian wine growing regions [rather than French varieties].”

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“However, given the diversity of the Australian landscape, I think we can make a solid case to produce world-class examples of most grape varieties.”

“To Australian consumers, and I am definitely guilty of this, we often stay with what we are familiar with drinking – the world of wine is diverse and often challenging with so many regions, varieties and styles to know it can be a daunting prospect to step outside of your ‘lane’,” Dan admits.

“It also comes down to what is offered and available, if you go to most wine shops there are aisles upon aisles of Shiraz, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir but Gewürztraminer and Muller-Thurgau are few and far between.”

“My challenge to wine drinkers is to be adventurous and try something new, you never know you could find your new favourite variety or style.”

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We also asked Dan: what are some other German wine varieties that Australians might not know about, but should keep an eye out for?

“I am no expert, but I think there are in excess of 100 grape varieties planted in Germany. With this in mind, I would suggest it is less about the varieties and more [about] exploring the regions and producers of Germany.”

“From Mosel, Pfalz, Nahe to Rheingau and beyond there is such a diverse expression of regions and producers that there is much to broaden drinkers’ horizons.”

“If you want a little tongue twister, Grosses Gewächs (or GGs to make life easier) is a grouping outside of official German wine law of arguably the finest wines of Germany and is specific to dry wines. Most are Riesling but the are other varieties in the mix to keep life interesting.”

Prost to that.

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The post The Underrated German Wine Australians Need To Know About appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Quentin Tarantino is beloved for his films; Pulp Fiction, Inglorious Basterds and Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, just to name a few. But did you know that every film Tarantino has done is connected?

Yes, all of the films from the critically acclaimed and Academy Award-winning writer & director are connected and are a part of the same fictional universe – similar to how all the films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe are connected; although in a much more subtle way.

The main connection between all of Tarantino’s movies are Red Apple Cigarettes; a fictitious brand of cigarettes that Tarantino invented and features in his films. For example, in Pulp Fiction, Uma Thurman’s character, Mia Wallace can be seen smoking Red Apple cigs during the diner scene when she orders a five-dollar shake.

Red Apple Cigarettes can again be seen in From Dusk Til Dawn; George Clooney and Tarantino’s respective characters are smoking them when they’re first introduced. Then there’s a massive billboard advertising Red Apple Cigarettes that The Bride – played by Uma Thurman – walks past in Kill Bill Vol. 1.

As for Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, Red Apple Cigarettes show up in a scene that you may not have seen before – even if you’ve seen Tarantino’s ninth film in its entirety. This is because the scene – where Leonardo DiCaprio is promoting Red Apple Cigarettes as his character Rick Dalton – was shown mid-credits; something Marvel is notorious for doing but something Tarantino rarely does.

Most people didn’t stick around in the cinema once Once Upon A Time In Hollywood’s credits began to roll. So most people missed this gem of a scene that connects this film to all of Tarantino’s previous films.

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The post The ‘Once Upon A Time In Hollywood’ Scene You Never Knew Existed appeared first on DMARGE Australia.