Archive

Chocolate Tart

Posted 12:58pm Sunday 8th October 2017 by Liani Baylis

Do you remember a few weeks ago when I (hopefully) changed your life and told you about aquafaba? That amazing shit inside the chickpea can? Well I’ve finally got my ass into gear to bring you something to make using it. Guess what, team? It’s your lucky day because this delectable tart Read more...

Loveless

Posted 12:52pm Sunday 8th October 2017 by Diana Tran

Rating: 4.5/5 A Russian couple, Zhenya and Boris, are getting a divorce, and unfortunately there are no court battles for custody in Russia. The son hears his parents arguing over who should have to take care of him, and runs away from home. The film follows the parents’ search for their Read more...

Wind River

Posted 12:49pm Sunday 8th October 2017 by Callum Post

Rating: 4/5 Wind River is directed by Taylor Sheridan, who wrote the screenplay for Oscar nominated movies Sicario and Hell or High Water. This is only his second outing as a director, and the first with a budget bigger than my student loan. Wind River is a grim crime-thriller that centres on Read more...

Letter from the Music Editor | Issue 26

Posted 12:39pm Sunday 8th October 2017 by Bianca Prujean

A few weeks ago I tuned into Radio One 91FM on a Tuesday night and listened to a mysterious new show called ‘Negative Space’. The ‘Negative Space’ bio on Facebook informs the listener that the show’s DJ, Brackets, “cares about representing female producers,” Read more...

Shoot Me

Posted 12:33pm Sunday 8th October 2017 by Waveney Russ

Give Lync Aronson a medium to advertise his cause and he will. A library bookcase, an unfortunately timed fire drill, an instant camera sitting on the bank of the Leith; he’ll sniff out advertising opportunities before you’ve even noticed that free food Friday poster taped to a tree. The Read more...

Video Game Books

Posted 11:48am Saturday 30th September 2017 by Lisa Blakie

“Lisa, why don’t you review a REAL game for once”. Uh, no! Hey, you know what you should be doing instead of spending so much time playing your silly video games like Zoombinis and Call of Duty and the Mario? Maybe try reading a book? A book about… Video games! Haha! Gotcha! Read more...

Half a Yellow Sun

Posted 11:42am Saturday 30th September 2017 by Jessica Thompson Carr

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is truly a master of words. She combines history with fiction beautifully, and brings us close to the Nigerian Civil War (1967-1970), which I knew nothing about beforehand. The book follows the lives of five characters: Ugwu, a boy from a poor village; Olanna, an Read more...

Quesadillas

Posted 11:38am Saturday 30th September 2017 by Liani Baylis

Quesadillas hold a special place in my heart - a drunk cult-classic as far as I’m concerned. I will forever owe my drunk nights on exchange to my friend Lucy, who somehow composed herself enough to loosely monitor a bit of molten cheese on the stovetop. Get someone like that; absolute Read more...

Logan Lucky

Posted 11:28am Saturday 30th September 2017 by Callum Post

Rating: 3/5 Few things are more entertaining than trying to predict how a well thought out heist flick will play out. Logan Lucky is a revisit of this formula, starring a slew of A-list names such as Daniel Craig, Channing Tatum, Katie Holmes, and the up-in-coming Adam Driver. The movie Read more...

IT

Posted 11:27am Saturday 30th September 2017 by Todd Johnstone

Rating: 4/5 While not as scary as many people were suggesting, I wouldn’t recommend IT to anyone already suffering from Coulrophobia. This is the second adaptation of Stephen King’s 1986 novel to be put to screen, following the 1990 mini-series. Director Andy Muschietti has revamped Read more...

Ai Weiwei: Rarely Apologetic

Posted 11:23am Saturday 30th September 2017 by Waveney Russ

Ai Weiwei has been arrested, surveyed, interrogated, abused and exiled by the Communist Party of China (CPC). His contributions to the political-artistic discussion dominated the 2017 global art scene. The son of a denounced Chinese poet, political retribution has been part of Weiwei’s life Read more...

I Touched Darude

Posted 11:12am Saturday 30th September 2017 by Josephine Devereux

Legends aren’t born, they’re made. The legend is made of memes and called Darude, the man behind the cultural classic that is ‘Sandstorm’. This is the journey I undertook to see Sandstorm live. Darude was playing one New Zealand concert, in Christchurch. Why Christchurch? Read more...

Dumplings

Posted 1:55pm Sunday 24th September 2017 by Liani Baylis

Dumplings are one of those things that test every ounce of my willpower every single time. How the fuck are they so good? Anyone who says they don’t like dumplings should be charged with treason as far as I am concerned. I make mine in a bamboo steamer (which you can pick up from Kmart Read more...

Rough Night

Posted 1:50pm Sunday 24th September 2017 by Gem MacDuff

Rating: 2/5 Amped for a kick-ass, unabashedly feminist film about a bunch of fierce yet comic women fighting the good fight, I have to say I was disappointed. Wonder Woman was sold out. Instead I was ushered into a nearly empty cinema to see Lucia Aniello’s “Rough Night”. In a Read more...

Paris Can Wait

Posted 1:45pm Sunday 24th September 2017 by Gem MacDuff

Rating: 1/5 I really, really wanted this to be the Eat, Pray, Love we all deserve, but all this film made me feel was hungry. Eleanor Coppola’s Paris Can Wait follows Anne (Diane Lane), the wife of a loving but distant movie producer and his business partner Jacques (Arnaud Viard) as Read more...

itch.io and Indie Games

Posted 1:26pm Sunday 24th September 2017 by Lisa Blakie

Itch.io is a website that has 100s of games, both free and premium, to download. You can also donate to creators of games and choose what to pay for purchase! How incredible is that? Game accessibility has been hugely increased through mobile free to play games, however it is extremely rare that iOS Read more...

INK at Railway St Studios, Auckland

Posted 1:19pm Sunday 24th September 2017 by Peter Dornauf

The art world, though it would deny it, has its own set of well-established hierarchies. It needs to look down on something and that something is print works, which is ironic given that Pop Art, one of the major revolutions in the history of art, employed printing techniques. Both Warhol and Read more...

Review: From Chamber Music to Echo Chamber...

Posted 1:13pm Sunday 24th September 2017 by Bianca Prujean

Person L – Stacian from Night School Records On 9 September 2017, Night School Records dropped ‘Person L’, the latest full-length offering from Stacian. The call and response vocals on opening track ‘Volx’ may have you mistaking Stacian for your new favourite Read more...

Review: Michael Houstoun & Bella Hristova

Posted 1:01pm Sunday 24th September 2017 by Isaac Shatford

There’s nothing quite like live chamber music. I’m not just saying that because I don’t have tickets to Ed Sheeran. There’s something magical about seeing two or more instrumentalists in musical conversation. I can’t think of a better example of this than Read more...

A Keeper of Sheep by William Carpenter

Posted 12:54pm Sunday 24th September 2017 by Zoe Taptiklis

The cover of this novel almost tries to warn you off with its bleeding grey pinks. Any millennial trying to express themselves through the last available port, fashion, should chain a copy of A Keeper of Sheep around their neck. Carpenter’s novel is a must read for anyone who wholeheartedly Read more...

Frog Fractions

Posted 1:31pm Sunday 17th September 2017 by Lisa Blakie

Rating: 5/5 Miniclip and Neopets were the only experiences I ever really had with browser based games made in Flash and as it turns out, I’m missing out on a lot.   My mate Jack: “Lisa, have you played Frog Fractions?” Me: “No way, maths is Read more...

The Virgin Suicides

Posted 1:26pm Sunday 17th September 2017 by Jessica Thompson

The Virgin Suicides, written in 1993, is, I suppose, a haunting depiction of the ‘enigma’ that is girl-hood. Set in small town Michigan in the 1970s, the novel is narrated by an anonymous group of boys who obsess over the Lisbon sisters. There are five sisters: 13-year-old Cecilia, Read more...

Generation Housing NZ

Posted 1:22pm Sunday 17th September 2017 by Cora-Allan Wickliffe

In 2016 Daniel and I moved back to New Zealand to have our son. We moved into my childhood home with my parents, who live in a state house in an area which has increasingly become less comfortable. I remember the big move when I was 3 years old. My parents knew the neighbours who bought the house Read more...

6 Days

Posted 1:12pm Sunday 17th September 2017 by Diana Tran

Rating: 3.5/5 6 Days tells the true story of the 1980 siege of the Iranian Embassy in London. The embassy was stormed by six individuals, who held 26 people hostage for six days. The film follows police negotiator Max Vernon (Mark Strong), who aims to resolve the situation diplomatically and Read more...

Ethel & Ernest

Posted 1:09pm Sunday 17th September 2017 by Alex Campbell-Hunt

Rating: 4.5/5 What a nice film. Ethel & Ernest is an animated film based on a book by Raymond Briggs, the author of a number of beloved ‘80s and '90s children’s picture books, about the lives of his parents, milkman dad Ernest and lady’s-maid mum Ethel, voiced superbly Read more...

Marvel’s The Defenders | Netflix TV Series

Posted 1:05pm Sunday 17th September 2017 by Samuel Rillstone

Rating: 4/5 Marvel Entertainment’s latest Netflix release offers a miniaturised street level version of the Avengers in the form of the Defenders. Daredevil (Charlie Cox), Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter), Luke Cage (Mike Colter) and Iron Fist (Finn Jones) make up the roster, following their Read more...

Dunedin Youth Orchestra |Romantic Underground Concert

Posted 1:07pm Sunday 10th September 2017 by Ihlara McIndoe

Do you find the concept of classical music enticing, but don’t yet feel like you have enough grey hairs, or cough lollies in your pockets, to fit in with the usual classical concert crowd? Are you vaguely interested, but don’t want to give up two hours getting a numb bum sitting in the Read more...

Review: Dunedin Symphony Orchestra - Dvorak and Brahms

Posted 1:02pm Sunday 10th September 2017 by Ihlara McIndoe

Following the last DSO concert, which proved to be a very pleasant evening with my dad (even if he was stingy on the ice cream front), I managed to find a friend to accompany me to the most recent event. I am 85 percent sure she forgot she was supposed to be coming, as when I arrived at her flat to Read more...

Critic Interviews: Rudeism

Posted 12:50pm Sunday 10th September 2017 by Lisa Blakie

Dylan Beck is a good friend of mine and I got to know him before he became Rudeism, a Twitch stream extraordinaire who has over 35,000 followers and can turn anything into a videogame controller. I sat down with him to ask about his newfound popularity and creative genius.   When did you Read more...

Miranda Parkes: The Merrier

Posted 12:43pm Sunday 10th September 2017 by Waveney Russ

Photo credit: Miranda Parkes: the merrier’ installation view featuring antibody banner; push me; (all 2017) courtesy Hocken Collections, Uare Taoka o Hākena. Photo: Iain Frengley. The Frances Hodgkins Fellowship comes around once a year, and when it does, Christmas comes Read more...

Kalinka

Posted 12:37pm Sunday 10th September 2017 by Diana Tran

Rating: 4/5 Kalinka is an honest and thoughtful portrayal of the true experiences of André Bamberski in his quest to find justice for his daughter Kalinka, who was raped and murdered. While spending the summer with her mother and stepfather, Dr Dieter Krombach, Kalinka suddenly dies of an Read more...

Apple Tree Yard

Posted 12:34pm Sunday 10th September 2017 by Shaun Brinsdon

Rating: 3.5/5 Following the likes of successful BBC mini-series like Happy Valley comes Jessica Hobbs’s Apple Tree Yard. Based on the novel of the same name, Apple Tree Yard centres on Dr Yvonne Carmichael (Emily Watson), a scientist who is unhappy in her marriage. She begins an affair with Read more...

The Secret History

Posted 12:29pm Sunday 10th September 2017 by Zoe Taptiklis

The Secret History is difficult to place into a temporal setting. Initially, based on the characters’ diction and the elaborate descriptive passages, I thought it was set in the ‘50s. The excessive use of home phones, the ones wired to the wall, made me think it was the ‘70s. Read more...

Cinnamon Rolls to Warm Your Poor Student Souls

Posted 12:26pm Sunday 10th September 2017 by Liani Baylis

I love bringing you guys my own recipes and shit, but I’ve discovered yet another amazing blog. I’m absolutely frothing over veganricha.com at the moment and these cinnamon rolls make me want to marry the clever little lass. During my non-vegan years, I had a go-to cinnamon roll Read more...

The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses

Posted 2:15pm Sunday 3rd September 2017 by Lisa Blakie

Rating: 5/5 The Symphony of the Goddesses tour started in 2012 after the 25th anniversary celebration of the Legend of Zelda at E3 2011. Playing for just one night in Auckland (on a SCHOOL night too!), I was determined to go; it had been a dream to see this show live since I heard the orchestral Read more...

The Case of the Missing Body

Posted 2:14pm Sunday 3rd September 2017 by Zoe Taptiklis

It has been a treat reading this book. It took me under an hour to read, but it’s taken days to digest. Imagine not knowing what your body is. I’ve always said that I have parsnip legs; they’re long and effing pale, wide at the top, tapering out into teeny little toes Read more...

The Haunting

Posted 2:09pm Sunday 3rd September 2017 by Alex Campbell-Hunt

Rating: 3/5 This is an… interesting movie. A late ‘90s entry in the Haunted House genre, it is imprinted in my memory because I vividly recall as a kid being torn between wanting to see it and thinking that it was going to be terrifying. More specifically, I remember making it as far Read more...

Okja

Posted 2:06pm Sunday 3rd September 2017 by Samuel Rillstone

Rating: 2.5/5 I found Okja to be less of a revolutionary film exposing the capitalist meat industry and more of a low ruckus. The cast boasts such powerhouses as Jake Gyllenhaal, Tilda Swinton and Lily Collins, all of whom create vibrant and intriguing performances. Even the young talent, the Read more...

A Comprehensive Guide to Games Where You Can Pet Animals

Posted 1:04pm Sunday 20th August 2017 by Lisa Blakie

Recently, my general feeling towards life has been that animals are the only pure things left in this year of general chaos. I don’t know about you, but I’ve personally changed my settings on Facebook to see posts from “Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary”, “Cool Cat Read more...

The Big Sick

Posted 12:56pm Sunday 20th August 2017 by Shaun Brinsdon

Rating: 4/5 The Big Sick opened with great acclaim from critics and viewers alike. The film is based on the true story of how Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani began their relationship. They wrote the screenplay of the film together and Nanjiani plays himself, while Gordon delegated her role to Read more...

Atomic Blonde

Posted 12:54pm Sunday 20th August 2017 by Todd Johnstone

Rating: 5/5 This movie will leave you feeling like you have just been continually hit in the face for two hours – but in a good way. I didn’t expect much going into it; I knew that it was directed by one of the directors of John Wick, so the action scenes and stunts were likely to be Read more...

The Lost Daughter

Posted 12:50pm Sunday 20th August 2017 by Jessica Thompson

"Books, once they are written, have no need of their authors."   Nobody knows who Elena Ferrante really is. An Italian writer, she (could be a he, but everyone assumes…) is mainly famous for her coming of age Neapolitan novels. Ferrante has been named one of the 100 Read more...

Gratis: A Q + A with Carisma

Posted 12:45pm Sunday 20th August 2017 by Bianca Prujean

This week, Critic takes a journey deep inside the Argentinian discotheque with Buenos Aires-based DJ/producer duo, Carisma. Carisma recently dropped their long-awaited full length album, Gratis. Out on Dengue Dancing Records, Gratis features nine tracks of heavily pulsed crunch beats, arpeggiated Read more...

Vegan Cupcakes that Are to Kill For (Just Not Sentient Beings)

Posted 12:40pm Sunday 20th August 2017 by Liani Baylis

A couple of weeks back, I shared my favourite cupcake recipe with you. I feel very passionate about said recipe, so I never mustered the courage to try “veganise” it. I’ve done it with other recipes, but that one I hold dear to my heart. Then, like a guardian angel, along comes Read more...

Dunedin’s Coffee Cup Art Trail

Posted 12:37pm Sunday 20th August 2017 by Waveney Russ

Latte art is dead. Do you think I ask to be presented with a sweet cat whose face I must suck into inexistence if I want to enjoy the five-dollar stimulant that, at this point, I chug back as if medication? Ephemeral. Transient. In an effort to clog my life with anything mildly resembling artwork Read more...

Shin Hanga (新版画)

Posted 12:12pm Sunday 13th August 2017 by Waveney Russ

Early 20th century Japan is a total cultural divergence from a tiny South Island town like ours, but the McDowell gallery has been authentically transformed into a perfect haven for the impressionistic prints of a pre-war age gone by. Shin-hanga (literally meaning “new woodcut Read more...

Nutshell by Ian McEwan

Posted 12:05pm Sunday 13th August 2017 by Zoe Taptiklis

Ian McEwan claimed fame from the world of non-literary oriented folks when Kiera Knightly had sex in a library, a scene that won the novel, and movie, Atonement, a permanent place in the collective memory of popular culture. I confess, I’ve tried to read Atonement several times, and I never Read more...

Ov Pain

Posted 12:03pm Sunday 13th August 2017 by Reg Norris

I’m not from here. Most of the people from where I’m from migrate north to the oily plains of Melbourne. It’s a rite of passage and sign of artistic commitment, or the need for restaurants open after 10pm, departure lounges teeming with tortured fortune seekers, or the guarantee of Read more...

To the Moon

Posted 11:59am Sunday 13th August 2017 by Lisa Blakie

Rating: 5/5 I’ve been on a bit of a story-rich indie game high recently. Oxenfree, Cibelle and Ladykiller in a Bind to name a few. This is definitely due to their accessibility. The most that these games cost is only around $20, they are available for both Windows and Mac, and can be Read more...

Dunkirk

Posted 11:56am Sunday 13th August 2017 by Callum Post

Rating: 4/5 Having directed some of the biggest movies of the last decade (such as Inception and The Dark Knight Trilogy), the Christopher Nolan brand has become synonymous with imaginative, mind-bending success. But now that he’s decided to make his mark on the war genre, as have so many Read more...