Archive

Jenny Lewis - The Voyager

Posted 9:16pm Sunday 10th August 2014 by Adrian Ng

Rating: B+ The Voyager is the third full-length release from Jenny Lewis, the former co-songwriter of the now deceased Rilo Kiley. With albums such as Take Offs and Landings and More Adventurous, Rilo Kiley were certainly a leading presence during that weird, semi-commercialisation of Read more...

Spoon - They Want My Soul

Posted 9:16pm Sunday 10th August 2014 by Adrian Ng

Rating: A- I’ve been a Spoon fan for quite some time now. I found their music mesmerising for its meticulousness. I appreciated the mastery they had over their sound, from each guitar stab, to each drum fill Jim Eno decided not to play. Their music seemed to ruminate in this pent up Read more...

NZ Download of the week: Clemintine - Kate Moss EP

Posted 9:16pm Sunday 10th August 2014 by Adrian Ng

Clemintine is a local project based around the songwriting talents of Jamie Russell, and features the fearsome duo of Max Lake and Oscar Parker. The Kate Moss EP is four tracks ridden with angst and self-loathing. It’s driving, distorted pop-punk. You can get the release at a name-your-price Read more...

New this week / Singles in review

Posted 9:16pm Sunday 10th August 2014 by Adrian Ng

Dope Body - Hired Gun Dope Body are a four-piece rock bandbased in Baltimore, USA. “Hired Gun” is the first single from the group’s third full- length album, Lifer. Known for their heavy yet intricate sound and referencing of 90s hardcore-influenced riffs, the band pretty much cover a Read more...

Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee - New 'N' Tasty

Posted 9:16pm Sunday 10th August 2014 by Baz Macdonald

Rating: A- Have you ever finished a book/film/TV series and felt totally devastated by the loss? That feeling of emptiness created when you have become so utterly entranced and involved in a fictional universe that for a time after finishing the series you don’t know how you can function Read more...

God help the girl

Posted 9:16pm Sunday 10th August 2014 by Andrew Kwiatkowski

God Help the Girl follows three youngsters around the streets and music halls of Glasgow, in one of those “perfect carefree summer” kind of romps. Eve is recovering from a self-harm episode and decides to chase her musical dreams, enlisting the help of mega-cutie James, one of those insufferable Read more...

Pulp: A film about life, death & supermarkets

Posted 9:16pm Sunday 10th August 2014 by Ashley Anderson

This documentary-style film is an en- dearing tribute to the ‘80–‘90s Sheffield- based band, Pulp. While probably not a well-known rock group in New Zealand, they have had many hits, including “Common People” (1995). Unlike many band-based movies, the members (now in their 50s) seem like genuinely Read more...

Robocop (1987)

Posted 9:16pm Sunday 10th August 2014 by Ben Tomsett

Classic Film I can imagine watching the blood-soaked ridiculousness that is Robocop would be an incredibly rewarding experience while high. Peter Weller plays Alex Murphy, a police officer that is brutally and graphically blown to pieces by criminals, his life saved when he is rebuilt Read more...

Begin Again

Posted 9:16pm Sunday 10th August 2014 by Sydney Lehman

Rating: B- Begin Again, a modern music film in which the music felt terribly dated, and scored by The New Radicals, who haven’t released an album since 1999. I don’t understand this bizarre choice in musicians for the score of a film about the current music industry. The whole thing felt Read more...

Pacific Rim

Posted 9:16pm Sunday 10th August 2014 by CJ O'Connor

Cult Film For various reasons, in this day and age there is often a certain scorn for so-called “blockbusters,” like it is incredibly passé to find enjoyment in anything mainstream. It probably doesn’t help that, in the days of mass film production, unique plot lines are often few and Read more...

Hercules

Posted 9:16pm Sunday 10th August 2014 by Baz Macdonald

Rating: B When you’ve heard a story told the same way 100 times, you never expect the 101st retelling to be different. Which is why Brett Ratner’s Hercules was a pleasant surprise, if not your usual action blockbuster fare. Hercules is one of humankind’s oldest legends, and Ratner’s Read more...

John Ward Knox & Sophie Bannan

Posted 9:16pm Sunday 10th August 2014 by Hannah Collier

Blue Oyster Art Space Exhibited until 23 August 2014 The Optimists is a new work by Christchurch-based artist Sophie Bannan and Auckland-based artist John Ward Knox, and is currently being exhibited at The Blue Oyster Art Project Space. While each artist presents a series of work unique to Read more...

Pork and Coriander Dumplings

Posted 9:16pm Sunday 10th August 2014 by Sophie Edmonds

Hi, my name is Sophie and i am a dumpling fiend. Steamed dumplings, fried dumplings – all the dumplings! I spend a lot of time sourcing out the best dumpling stalls and night markets and frequently venture into D-graded food establishments to find premium offerings. I had tried making Read more...

Drowning City

Posted 9:43pm Sunday 3rd August 2014 by Bridget Vosburgh

Other reviews i’ve read of Ben Atkins’ first novel Drowning City tended to sound something like: “ZOMG this teenager wrote a book when he was like 17 and then it was published when he was 19 ZOMG and it sounds just like a real person wrote it, this is incredible!” The problem with this is that his Read more...

Shamir - Northtown EP

Posted 9:43pm Sunday 3rd August 2014 by Adrian Ng

Rating: A- Shamir Bailey is a nineteen-year-old musician from Las Vegas, USA. The Northtown EP is his debut release, and it is definitely a promising one. The first thing that becomes immediately apparent is Bailey’s voice. It is silky smooth, and seems to sit at quite a unique Read more...

Radiator Hospital - Torch Song

Posted 9:43pm Sunday 3rd August 2014 by Adrian Ng

Rating: A- Radiator hospital is a self-described DIY band based in Philadelphia and centres around the twitchy, heartfelt, pop-punk songwriting of frontman Sam Cook-Parrott. Clocking in at just over 30 minutes, this spry collection of 15 songs is upbeat. Well, you know, as upbeat as Read more...

NZ Download of the Week: Dinosaur Sanctuary

Posted 9:43pm Sunday 3rd August 2014 by Adrian Ng

Dinosaur Sanctuary is a Dunedin four- piece made up of Kane Strang, Joshua Hunter, Rassani Tolovaa and Isaac Hickey. Together they make sort of sonic, stoner rock. A kind of Black Sabbath fused with Queens of the Stone Age, plus a dash of Arctic Monkeys. You can download their album from Read more...

New this week / Singles in review

Posted 9:43pm Sunday 3rd August 2014 by Adrian Ng

Weezer - Back to the Shack Not many bands face such loathing from their own fan base. Since their apparent fall from glory around the new millennium, the group have remained prolific. However, every album seems to breed a sense of, “oh no, you’re just making it worse, guys.” Read more...

Divinity: Original Sin

Posted 9:43pm Sunday 3rd August 2014 by Baz Macdonald

Rating: B- There are so many gaming arguments that I am sick to death of hearing about, but more than any other, I am tired of people whining about games not being hard enough anymore. Not because I think it is a completely baseless complaint, but because people don’t understand the Read more...

At Berkeley

Posted 9:43pm Sunday 3rd August 2014 by Rosie Howells

At Berkeley is an in-depth, atmospheric documentary study of what life is like at the University of California, one of the most prestigious universities in the world today. Any movie that examines a famous academic institution with amazing facilities, scarily intelligent students, and incredible Read more...

Cap Bocage

Posted 9:43pm Sunday 3rd August 2014 by Baz Macdonald

New Caledonia is one of the world’s richest sources of the metal nickel, making it a target for mining companies. In the early ‘70s the Ballande mining group procured much of the New Caledonian indigenous land to begin mining the precious metal. In 2008, mismanagement of mining sites and heavy rain Read more...

Jacob's Ladder

Posted 9:43pm Sunday 3rd August 2014 by Alex Campbell-Hunt

Cult Film To call Jacob’s Ladder a horror movie would be selling it short. It doesn’t only rely on frightening images, it also gets inside your head. Tim Robbins plays Jacob Singer, a soldier who returns from Vietnam and begins to experience terrifying demonic visions. His girlfriend Read more...

A Promise

Posted 9:43pm Sunday 3rd August 2014 by Andrew Kwiatkowski

Rating: B+ Have you ever had one of those love affairs that was spine-tinglingly perfect in every way – except, perhaps, for that tiny, insignificant detail, that one of you is not technically “available?” Maybe the other person was married to your boss? Then has Patrice Leconte got a film Read more...

Sex Tape

Posted 9:43pm Sunday 3rd August 2014 by Ben Tomsett

Rating: C+ I have never come so close to walking out of a movie as I did in Sex Tape. A likable cast and an interesting premise were enticing enough to attend, but after sitting through an hour of the blandest humour imaginable, I just about lost it. Jason Segel and Cameron Diaz play Read more...

Quai D'Orsay (The French Minister)

Posted 9:43pm Sunday 3rd August 2014 by Baz Macdonald

Rating: A- The French Minster joins other works such as the US TV show Veep that have clearly taken their inspiration from the popular UKTV series The Thick of It. These shows and films all portray important government figures through a satirical lens, which simultaneously undermines many Read more...

Michael Parekowhai

Posted 9:43pm Sunday 3rd August 2014 by Hannah Collier

Dunedin Public Art Gallery Exhibited until 9 November 2014 Michael Parekowhai (born Porirua, 1968) is one of New Zealand’s most important contemporary artists. Parekowhai acquired his BFA (1990) and his MFA (2000) from Elam School of Fine Arts, University of Auckland. In 2001 Read more...

New York style soft pretzels

Posted 9:43pm Sunday 3rd August 2014 by Sophie Edmonds

The other Saturday i woke up. Well, i say “woke up” – in reality I was barely conscious and still a bit drunk from the night before. I felt like death. After a few more hours of remaining in the horizontal position, I dragged my tragic ass out of bed, put in my contacts and on some pants and Read more...

Profile: New Zealand Child Poverty 101

Posted 10:15pm Sunday 27th July 2014 by Stacey Kennedy of Choose Kids

“Child poverty;” “vulnerability;” “income gap.” Buzz words, right? Phrases thrown around by the radical lefties? There are 285,000 children living in poverty in New Zealand, yet so many of us New Zealanders seem content to ignore the problem, or worse, to deny it altogether. Unfortunately “us Read more...

Strange Harvest

Posted 10:15pm Sunday 27th July 2014 by Adrian Ng

Dunedin cold-wave duo Strange Harvest have been busy finishing their third full-length album. A few weeks removed from the studio Justin Walshaw catches up with Critic’s Adrian Ng. Did both of you come from musical backgrounds? Was there a particular moment that made you want to do music? Read more...

Download of the Week: The River Jones - The River Jones (NZ)

Posted 10:15pm Sunday 27th July 2014 by Adrian Ng

The River Jones are a four-piece from Christchurch. Noisy, post-punk, emo. Reminds me of a combination of Sonic Youth and Slint. Their live shows are spectacular. You can get their album at a name-your-price download from theriverjones.bandcamp.com. Read more...

A Sunny Day in Glasgow

Posted 10:15pm Sunday 27th July 2014 by Adrian Ng

Rating: A- A Sunny Day In Glasgow began as a recording project in 2006, between friends Ben Daniels and Ever Nalens. Since their inception the band has seen countless line-up changes, albeit always centered around the songwriting prowess of Ben Daniels. Sea When Absent is the group’s third Read more...

New this week / Singles in review

Posted 10:15pm Sunday 27th July 2014 by Adrian Ng

Perfume Genius - Queen Perfume Genius is the moniker for Seattle musician Mike Hadreas. “Queen” is the lead single from his third album, Too Bright, set to be released in September later this year. A beautiful, sprawling ballad, “Queen” is grandiose and at the same time dangerous. Read more...

Valiant Hearts: The Great War

Posted 10:15pm Sunday 27th July 2014 by Baz Macdonald

Rating: A This year marks the 100-year anniversary of WWI, making it a crucial moment in our generation’s cultural memory. With the last veteran of the Great War having passed away in 2012, our memorials of this event become increasingly about remembrance instead of respect. As time moves on, Read more...

52 Tuesdays

Posted 10:15pm Sunday 27th July 2014 by Andrew Kwiatkowski

Wow. Words almost fail me. 52 Tuesdays was filmed over the course of one year, entirely on Tuesdays, to watch the mother-daughter relationship evolve, as Billie’s mother becomes James, her second father. Teen Billie is fairly naive to begin with, but gets totally derailed from herself when Read more...

Locke

Posted 10:15pm Sunday 27th July 2014 by Andrew Kwiatkowski

I know what you are thinking. If the film is just Tom Hardy’s face as he drives and talks on hands-free, how interesting could it be? The answer: RIVETING. And, no, that’s not sarcasm. We follow Ivan Locke on a literal journey to a hospital one night, but more importantly on a figurative one Read more...

Night of the Living Dead

Posted 10:15pm Sunday 27th July 2014 by Alex Campbell-Hunt

Classic Film The mother of all zombie movies and, in my view, the most effective and terrifying, with the possible exception of 28 Days Later; NOTLD did a lot with a small budget, few special effects, few locations and a small cast. The grainy, shaky home-footage look gives it an immediacy Read more...

Words and Pictures

Posted 10:15pm Sunday 27th July 2014 by Andrew Kwiatkowski

Rating: B- Like a lot of bad rom-coms, they really should have ditched the rom-com angle altogether and focused on the much more interesting subplots. Handsome English teacher Jack Marcus (Clive Owen) is having a pretty crummy time, having not been able to write anything worth Read more...

The Face of Love

Posted 10:15pm Sunday 27th July 2014 by Andrew Kwiatkowski

Rating: B+ This movie is like combining American Beauty with Misery, and the plot from The Great Gatsby. With Robin Williams, too, as the same creep-next-door from One Hour Photo. Nikki (Annette Bening) is traumatically widowed when her husband of 30 happy years drowns beside her, but Read more...

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Posted 10:15pm Sunday 27th July 2014 by Baz Macdonald

Rating: A I remember the first time I saw Gollum, and knew that there was something special happening. He was different to other CGI creations; there was something far more complex happening in his movements and expressions. Now, of course, we know that special element was the use of Read more...

Lolita

Posted 10:15pm Sunday 27th July 2014 by Andrea Reed

Lolita is Nabokov’s best-known novel. Written about 60 years ago, the novel now is being promoted in the Central Library’s showcases as a crucial modernist text. But what characterises modernist fiction? It appears, on the whole, that modernist authors explore styles and themes that engage in moral Read more...

Pulled Pork Burgers

Posted 10:15pm Sunday 27th July 2014 by Sophie Edmonds

Here is my third addition to the growing tradition of Burger Sunday at my flat. Last Friday I had a sibling date with my brother. Basically I bribed him with free burgers in order to make me feel like less of a loner. We visited this new place in Ponsonby Central, Burger Burger, where I Read more...

Paul Maseyk

Posted 10:15pm Sunday 27th July 2014 by Hannah Collier

Dunedin Public Art Gallery Exhibited until 30 November One Pot Wonder is literally a one-pot wonder, as there is one pot (it stands at about two metres tall), and it makes you wonder. Along with the rest of the survey exhibition, which is equally as wondrous. The exhibition as a Read more...

Interview: Ryan Johnson - Great White Shark Expert

Posted 5:12pm Sunday 20th July 2014 by Zane Pocock

You moved from New Zealand to South Africa to pursue your career looking at the Great White Shark? Well, I was primarily a zoologist and I finished my undergrad work and I suffered from what a lot of Kiwis suffer from – you want to go off and see the big world – but I wanted to carry on with my Read more...

Interview: I Am Giant

Posted 5:12pm Sunday 20th July 2014 by Adrian Ng

I Am Giant are back in New Zealand for a nationwide tour. They touched down in Dunedin on 18 July to play at student bar Re:Fuel. With a new album under their belt and a lot of excitement brewing, Adrian Ng caught up with the band right before the craziness began. How long has it been since Read more...

Download of the week: Glass Vaults - Glass EP (NZ)

Posted 5:12pm Sunday 20th July 2014 by Adrian Ng

The Glass EP is the debut offering from Wellington group Glass Vaults. Revolving around the songwriting of Rowan Pierce and Richard Larsen, the EP is five tracks of beautiful, ambient, psychedelic wonder. You can get the EP as a name-your-price download from glassvaults.bandcamp.com. Read more...

Ought - More Than Any Other Day

Posted 5:12pm Sunday 20th July 2014 by Adrian Ng

Rating: A Ought are a four-piece based in Montreal, More Than Any Other Day is their debut release. The record is an interesting conglomeration of different musical spare parts and personalities. Whilst taking cues from art punk forefathers such as Television, The Talking Heads, Wire, Slint Read more...

New this week / Singles in review

Posted 5:12pm Sunday 20th July 2014 by Adrian Ng

Viet Cong - Throw it Away Throw It Away (Single) by Viet Cong Viet Cong is comprised of the former members of noise pop band Women. “Throw It Away” is the single from their newly released EP, the aptly titled Cassette. The track also catches the band at it’s most straightforward and Read more...

Wildstar

Posted 5:12pm Sunday 20th July 2014 by Baz Macdonald

Rating: A- Here’s the little spoken truth about MMORPGs: they’re actually in many ways mediocre games. Take any aspect from a non-MMO game, gameplay, graphics, design, story, and compare it to any MMO and it becomes quickly apparent that nearly every aspect is just a watered down version of a Read more...

Yona Lee - Specific Objects

Posted 5:12pm Sunday 20th July 2014 by Hannah Collier

Blue Oyster Gallery Exhibited until Saturday 26 July Yona Lee is a Korean-born artist (and former cellist) currently residing and working in Onehunga, Auckland. She acquired an MFA from Elam School of Fine Arts in 2010, leading to her most recent exhibitions including Tangential Read more...

The Name of the Wind

Posted 5:12pm Sunday 20th July 2014 by Chelsea Boyle

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss is the first novel of a trilogy known as “The Kingkiller Chronicle.” This debut fantasy novel has quickly garnered critical praise for its style and creativity. A unique prologue foreshadows an original take on the hero’s journey. It features beautiful, Read more...

Interview: Bill Gosden - International Film Festival Director

Posted 5:12pm Sunday 20th July 2014 by Rosie Howells

In the Auckland and Wellington International Film Festival, there is between 150-170 films playing. And slightly less in Dunedin? Yes, but Dunedin is quite big. I haven’t counted exactly but it’s in the mid 90s. The thing is, with the availability of everything digitally, the time has now passed Read more...

Blended

Posted 5:12pm Sunday 20th July 2014 by Andrew Kwiatkowski

Rating: E Movies, like any art, reflect the culture that created them. If any aliens were to pick up the tired romcom Blended and draw conclusions about our planet’s cultural values, unfortunately they would be morally obliged to vaporise us all immediately. Formula: Adam Sandler is Read more...

Jersey Boys

Posted 5:12pm Sunday 20th July 2014 by Rosie Howells

Rating: B- Let me start by saying that Jersey Boys the stage musical is SO FREAKING GOOD. Following the true story of the mob-associated New Jersey lads’ rise to fame as the squeaky-clean pop sensations The Four Seasons, it included dozens of impeccably-performed hits that you had no idea Read more...

How To Train Your Dragon 2

Posted 5:12pm Sunday 20th July 2014 by Ella Borrie

Rating: B+ How to Train Your Dragon 2 is like one of those shape-sorter toys. It’s not complex, and every emotion fits into perfectly shaped slots. The square block fits in when the young hero acts plucky. A heart-shaped block whenever the pet dragon is adorable. A teardrop block when the Read more...

Calvary

Posted 5:12pm Sunday 20th July 2014 by Baz Macdonald

Rating: A- Sometimes it can be hard to pick the genre of a movie before seeing it. You can be easily misled by the marketing or, as in this case, a cast comprising several prominent comedic actors such as Brendon Gleeson, Chris O’Dowd and Dylan Moran. The predominantly elderly audience and I Read more...

Feta & Pesto Burgers

Posted 5:12pm Sunday 20th July 2014 by Sophie Edmonds

So Sunday nights have become Burger Sundays. That’s when I make my flat (and whoever else turns up) burgers – all totally from scratch, including the buns. After a couple of texts last Sunday afternoon, our dinner for three turned into a dinner for seven. But that’s ok. The tag-alongs brought wine Read more...

How Should a Person Be?

Posted 6:52pm Sunday 13th July 2014 by Mandy Te

In 2012, critics praised Sheila Heti’s second novel, How Should a Person Be? The New York Times named it their most notable book of 2012 and magazines such as The New Republic (who once published the works of Virginia Woolf) and the New York Observer placed this novel on their “Best Books of 2012” Read more...

Beef and mushroom burgers with homemade buns

Posted 6:52pm Sunday 13th July 2014 by Sophie Edmonds

Last week a boy who fancied me bought me a cookbook. Not just any cookbook, but the ultimate in burger-making glory cookbook. If the book wasn’t so spectacular I would have taken offence at this blatant attempt to get me to make him the ultimate sandwich. Riding on the current hipster food trend of Read more...

Download of the week: The Canals - Young Napolean EP (NZ)

Posted 6:52pm Sunday 13th July 2014 by Adrian Ng

The Canals are an intriguing new project from right here in Dunedin. Four tracks long, the Young Napoleon EP was written and recorded by Robbie Motion, who is also from post-punk noise outfit Not From Space. The Canals seem to have a significantly more pop objective and boasts a bit of a Brit-pop Read more...

Parquet Courts - Sunbathing Animal

Posted 6:52pm Sunday 13th July 2014 by Loulou Callister-Baker

Rating: A Captivated by the wild blur that is Parquet Courts’ second album Light Up Gold, an initial listen of Sunbathing Animal may throw you off guard. While the album’s opening song, “Bodies,” in tone and yelping vocal style, hints at their previous album, preceding songs show definite Read more...

Artist Profile: Glass Owls

Posted 6:52pm Sunday 13th July 2014 by Adrian Ng

Glass Owls are an alternative pop act from Auckland centered around the songwriting talents of Anthony Metcalf and Tomas Nelson. Having just released their debut album, Out From The Darkness, Adrian Ng caught up with guitarist Anthony Metcalf. Did you come from a musical background? What Read more...

New this week / Singles in review

Posted 6:52pm Sunday 13th July 2014 by Adrian Ng

Spoon - Do You It’s been four years since their last album, Transference, and Spoon are finally making a return. “Do You” is the second single from their upcoming album titled They Want My Soul. An upbeat, summery track, “Do You” finds Spoon retracing familiar ground, but a kind of Read more...

Sniper Elite 3

Posted 6:52pm Sunday 13th July 2014 by Baz Macdonald

Rating: B I’m not a sociopath (I swear) but there is something truly satisfying in games about achieving a stunningly executed headshot. I’m not sure what exactly it is, perhaps the skill involved in lining it up and timing the shot perfectly, or maybe more disturbingly, it’s the clear Read more...

Suji Park - Anu

Posted 6:52pm Sunday 13th July 2014 by Hannah Collier

Brett McDowell Gallery Exhibited until 16 July 2014 My introduction to Suji Park’s work was serendipity, and I’ve been emotionally involved with her sculptures (and photography) ever since. I was in my friend’s apartment and he had his recently purchased Park positioned on a table Read more...

Transformers: Age of Extinction

Posted 6:52pm Sunday 13th July 2014 by Baz Macdonald

Rating: F Since 2007, the Transformers franchise has gotten progressively more offensive in every way: offensive to your senses, offensive to your sensibilities, and offensive to your intelligence. Transformers: Age of Extinction is the culmination of those cinematic sins; making it one of Read more...

What We Do in the Shadows

Posted 6:52pm Sunday 13th July 2014 by Sydney Lehman

Rating: A It did my heart good to see that Nosferatu hadn’t lost his touch. Vampires have become a staple offering of Hollywood flicks in recent years. I haven’t cared much for the ones that sparkle, the ones that are super-cool and drink blood like they’re shooting heroine, nor for the Read more...

22 Jump Street

Posted 6:52pm Sunday 13th July 2014 by Ben Tomsett

Rating: A Anyone who has ever seen a sequel of almost any comedy movie ever made knows not to expect great things. They are usually a rehash of what worked the first time, though less original and less funny (see The Hangover Part II). What made 22 Jump Street such a great sequel was that Read more...

Edge of Tomorrow

Posted 6:52pm Sunday 13th July 2014 by Baz Macdonald

Rating: A Edge of Tomorrow is one of those films that people will try and describe to you with 100 different similes, and though the film is “like” many different things, the truth is that it combines these factors to create a unique and gripping movie. Edge of Tomorrow, based on the Read more...

Interview: Peter Dunne - United Future Leader

Posted 1:08pm Sunday 6th July 2014 by Zane Pocock

You were the President of the University of Canterbury Students’ Association, so obviously you would care a bit about student politics. What do you see as the biggest issues for students at the moment? Why should students vote for you; what would you do about those issues? Well, if I go back Read more...

Lana Del Rey - Ultraviolence

Posted 1:08pm Sunday 6th July 2014 by Adrian Ng

The queen of tumblrcore returns with her sophomore album boldly titled Ultraviolence, perhaps a reference to Anthony Burgess’s A Clockwork Orange? Thus, the pop culture collage that is Del Rey’s music continues. In all honesty, it’s almost easier to start asking what isn’t a reference when analysing Read more...

Giveaway: Arcee - The Cool Zone EP

Posted 1:08pm Sunday 6th July 2014 by Adrian Ng

Local rapper Arcee is giving away two copies of her debut EP, both of which will be signed by the artist herself. To be in to win, keep an eye on the Critic Facebook page this week for details on how to enter. Her EP launch takes place on 12 July and it’s free entry, so if you’re a hip-hop Read more...

Alex G - DSU

Posted 1:08pm Sunday 6th July 2014 by Peter McCall

Rating: B+ Though DSU is Alex Giannascoli’s first album to be released on Brooklyn-based label Orchid Tapes, it’s the sixth to be uploaded to the 21-year-old’s Bandcamp page (where you can get it for free!). I first heard Alex G’s music through a girl I used to follow on tumblr who would post Read more...

New this week / Singles in review

Posted 1:08pm Sunday 6th July 2014 by Adrian Ng

Sharon Van Etten - Every Time The Sun Comes Up The second single from her upcoming album Are We There Yet. Sharon Van Etten crafts yet another melancholic folk song, this time over an affected drum machine. Her voice is full of substance and carries a heaviness that is beautiful, as well Read more...

Wolfenstein: The New Order

Posted 1:08pm Sunday 6th July 2014 by Baz Macdonald

Rating: A- It is strange to think that first person shooters (FPS) are barely 20 years old, especially considering how prevalent they have become. Yet it was only in 1992 that ID Software released the very first FPS, Wolfenstein 3D. Since then, many games have made steps to evolve the genre. Read more...

Brian Alexander - Coppertone

Posted 1:08pm Sunday 6th July 2014 by Hannah Collier

Mint Gallery Exhibited until 10 July 2014 Dunedin artist Brian Alexander unveils yet another solo exhibition in Dunedin at Mint Gallery this week – Coppertone. Combining influences from his original designs as well as other topics of the female form, the exhibition is comprised of 18 Read more...

This is not the end of the book

Posted 1:08pm Sunday 6th July 2014 by Feby Idrus

Rumours of the death of the book have been grossly exaggerated. In this book-length discussion, Umberto Eco and Jean-Claude Carrière celebrate the book by delving into its history and speculating on its inevitable future, since, as Eco says early on: “The book is like the spoon […] Once invented, it Read more...

A million ways to die in the west

Posted 1:08pm Sunday 6th July 2014 by Ben Tomsett

Rating: B- This is really the sort of movie that could have gone straight to DVD and had exactly the same impact as it did in the cinema. Seth MacFarlane’s second feature film is nowhere near as funny or memorable as Ted. MacFarlane plays the lead role of Albert Stark, a nerdy sheep farmer Read more...

X-Men: Days of future past

Posted 1:08pm Sunday 6th July 2014 by Baz Macdonald

Rating: A- Every franchise, regardless of its pedigree, makes a misstep at some point. Undoubtedly, that moment for the X-Men film franchise was 2006’s X-Men: The Last Stand. However, unlike every other franchise, X-Men has narrative concepts, such as mutants that can time travel, that allow Read more...

Maleficent

Posted 1:08pm Sunday 6th July 2014 by Ashley Anderson

Rating: A+ Disney has outdone itself yet again by making the old-school “good girl gone bad gone good” movie into something completely refreshing. Be that as it may, this is a remake of the old animated Sleeping Beauty (1959) classic, but thankfully with a completely new and engaging twist. Read more...

The fault in our stars

Posted 1:08pm Sunday 6th July 2014 by Andrew Kwiatkowski

Rating: A Of the big movies released over the break, perhaps the dark horse of these was The Fault in Our Stars. It’s an absolutely spot-on film adaptation of the New York Times number-one best-selling young adult novel by vlogbrother John Green, and it’s exciting that two more of his novels Read more...

Interview: Majella Cullinane, 2014 Burns Fellow

Posted 2:07pm Sunday 25th May 2014 by Anonymous Bird

What was it like receiving the Burns Fellowship/how did you actually go about getting it? Well, the Burns Fellowship comes around every year. I was pretty unsure whether I was going to apply for it or not, ‘cause I have been in New Zealand for just over five years, and it’s New Zealand’s oldest Read more...

Swans - To Be Kind

Posted 2:07pm Sunday 25th May 2014 by Basti Menkes

Rating: A+ Since their inception in the 1980s, experimental rockers Swans have attracted many superlatives: biggest, loudest, darkest, heaviest. To many folk, Michael Gira and company epitomise music as an extreme experience. Whether percussively punishing as they were in the ‘80s, or gothic Read more...

Download of the week: Salad Boys - Salad Boys (NZ)

Posted 2:07pm Sunday 25th May 2014 by Adrian Ng

Salad Boys are a band from Christchurch, and this album features some incredible chill-out pop songs. Featuring members of T54, the guitar playing is magnificent. Eight songs, lo-fi, dreamy and fun. Sometimes surfy, sometimes upbeat, bringing to mind Flying Nun glory days. Salad Boys is now Read more...

Pop Strangers - Fortuna

Posted 2:07pm Sunday 25th May 2014 by Adrian Ng

Popstrangers are serious about this music thing, and so they should be. Since 2012 not only have they signed to Carpark Records, they’ve also made the bold decision of moving all the way to London. With a slew of strong singles since then (“Country Kills,” “Don’t Be Afraid”), I’ve found myself Read more...

New this week / Singles in review

Posted 2:07pm Sunday 25th May 2014 by Adrian Ng

Sharon Van Etten - Every Time the Sun Comes Up The second single from her upcoming album Are We There Yet. Sharon Van Etten crafts yet another melancholic folk song, this time over an affected drum machine. Her voice is full of substance and carries a heaviness that is beautiful, as Read more...

Super Time Force

Posted 2:07pm Sunday 25th May 2014 by Baz Macdonald

Rating: A- After five minutes of scrolling through Reddit posts, you’ll be certain that the world’s about to end – what with all the doom and gloom that abounds online. The trolls of the Internet have infected everything with a disgusting degree of cynicism and negativity. Unfortunately, when Read more...

Chipotle Chicken Burgers

Posted 2:07pm Sunday 25th May 2014 by Sophie Edmonds

I made up this recipe over the summer after I was inspired by a delicious Ferg Burger I ate. Ever since I made these for my family it has become one of Mum’s staple meals on the weekly rotation. My brother, who usually loves these burgers, actually complained about the frequency of their appearance Read more...

Rio 2

Posted 2:07pm Sunday 25th May 2014 by Baz Macdonald

Rating: B- People love animated musicals; why else does Disney practically run the entertainment industry? A great Disney musical is like a grand opera with a huge orchestra and people singing their feelings into the sky. But if Disney musicals are like operas, Rio 2 is like Top 40 pop music. Read more...

Godzilla

Posted 2:07pm Sunday 25th May 2014 by Baz Macdonald

Rating: A- For those unfamiliar with one of film’s longest living monster icons, the eponymous creature first appeared in the 1954 Japanese film Godzilla. A lizard mutated to colossal proportions by radiation, Godzilla allowed Japanese moviemakers to express their concerns about mutagenic Read more...

The Stepford Wives

Posted 2:07pm Sunday 25th May 2014 by Rosie Howells

Cult Film No, I am not referring to the 2004 Nicole Kidman monstrosity that left us all cold and more than a little bit confused. The original 1975 The Stepford Wives was everything the remake was not – brave, tense and extremely unnerving. Unlike the (attempted comedy) of Frank Oz’s remake, Read more...

Chef

Posted 2:07pm Sunday 25th May 2014 by Rosie Howells

Rating: B- One should always be wary of a film that was written, produced and directed by the starring actor, and Chef is no exception. Jon Faverau is the guilty party in question, as he occupied all the major production roles to bring us a film we could quite frankly do without. The story Read more...

Street Style | Issue 13

Posted 2:07pm Sunday 25th May 2014 by Helen & Grace

Jamie (Microbiology and Commerce) Wearing Beau Coops boots, Ruby dress and coat.. Lydia (Commerce) Wearing New Balance shoes, Levi Jeans, Witchery jersey and Zara coat. Read more...

The Observer

Posted 2:07pm Sunday 25th May 2014 by Emma & Liam

RUBY’s Autumn/Winter 2014 collection, “The Dreamers,” was inspired by the cult classic films of director Sofia Coppola and the rebellious youths of the 1968 student riots in Paris. Having taken over RUBY in 2008, designer Deanna Didovich has seen the label grace its first catwalk at New Zealand Read more...

Saga

Posted 2:07pm Sunday 25th May 2014 by Anonymous Bird

Saga is the new comic book series from Brian Vaughan, who wrote Y: The Last Man, Ex Machina, and Runaways. He was part of the scriptwriting team for Lost, seasons three through five, and he’s currently show-runner for Under the Dome, a TV series based around the 2009 Steven King novel. I’ve not read Read more...

Form and Void

Posted 2:07pm Sunday 25th May 2014 by Hannah Collier

Mint Gallery Exhibited until 29 May 2014 “Form and Void presents a study in contrasts by staking out a liminal territory between cadence and dissonance, presence and absence, potentiality and actuality. While eschewing iconographic elements, the work of this collection continues to engage Read more...

Interview: Michael Woodhouse - National Party MP

Posted 4:32pm Sunday 18th May 2014 by Carys Goodwin

Michael Woodhouse is a National Party list MP based in Dunedin. He takes care of both Dunedin North and South, and is the Minister of Immigration, Veterans’ Affairs, and Land Information. He is also Assistant Minister of Transport. Why should students vote for you? What do you want to do for Read more...

Download of the week: Sheep, Dog and Wolf - Ablutophobia EP (NZ)

Posted 4:32pm Sunday 18th May 2014 by Adrian Ng

Sheep, Dog and Wolf is the project of prolific New Zealand musician Daniel McBride, recorded in 2011 when he was only 17. He says, “My name is Daniel McBride, 17 years of age, and Ablutophobia EP is the result of nine months on-and-off recording in a tiny little studio I’ve managed to set up Read more...

The Phoenix Foundation - Tom's Lunch EP

Posted 4:32pm Sunday 18th May 2014 by Adrian Ng

Rating: A- In the fall of 2013, New Zealand pop heavyweights The Phoenix Foundation released their sprawling double album Fandango to widespread acclaim. The album featured two drummers, with longtime member Richie Singleton leaving the band in the midst of making the album to focus on Read more...

Artist Profile: Millie Lovelock

Posted 4:32pm Sunday 18th May 2014 by Adrian Ng

Millie Lovelock is one part of space-pop duo Astro Children and also my bandmate in Trick Mammoth. This year she travelled to Montreal as part of the University’s exchange programme. An influential presence on the Dunedin music scene, I asked Millie some questions about her trip and what we can Read more...

New this week / Singles in review

Posted 4:32pm Sunday 18th May 2014 by Adrian Ng

Quirke - Break a Mirrored Leg “Break a Mirrored Leg” is the lead single from the British producer’s debut EP Acid Beth. A swirling mish-mash of sounds, like machine parts. The track blends driving rhythm with well-executed dynamics. The result is a cold, dark soundscape which is Read more...