Archive

Singles in Review

Posted 2:09pm Sunday 10th May 2015 by Basti Menkes

Cheldea Wolfe - "Iron Moon" Californian sorceress, Chelsea Wolfe, has spent the last six years taking sounds from the worlds of doom, drone, black metal, electronica and folk to create a style uniquely her own. Her most recent album, Pain is Beauty, saw her expertly crafting gothic Read more...

Leviathan: Scar Sighted

Posted 1:59pm Sunday 10th May 2015 by Basti Menkes

Rating: 3/5 Black metal has to be among the most preposterous and controversial sub-genres in music. It is difficult to separate the music itself from the satanic imagery in which it is dressed, not to mention the murders and church burnings that have occurred within the black metal community. Read more...

Cities: Skylines

Posted 1:51pm Sunday 10th May 2015 by Carl Dingwall

Rating: 5/5 Do you remember Sim City? What used to be the great in-depth city builder was reduced to a disappointing, digital-rights-management-infested mess last year with the release of the series’ reboot. Long-time fans of the series were left behind as the late Maxis, which was shut Read more...

Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs

Posted 1:47pm Sunday 10th May 2015 by Bridget Vosburgh

In Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs, Johann Hari covers the bizarre origins of the drug war, the horrific state of the drug war today, what is most likely to be the actual cause of drug addiction, and the few places where people are finding better ways to deal with the Read more...

Theatre Review: MAMIL

Posted 1:41pm Sunday 10th May 2015 by George Niven

Rating: 4/5 My father is a MAMIL. I don’t like to talk about it, but it’s true. So while, initially, the main character of MAMIL sparked anxious flashbacks to the time my dad turned up to a parent-teacher conference night with only a thin layer of polyester-polyurethane copolymer Read more...

Ordinary People

Posted 1:36pm Sunday 10th May 2015 by Alex Campbell-Hunt

Classic In a somewhat Kanye West-esque fashion, Ordinary People is also known as the “movie that robbed Raging Bull of its Best Picture Oscar” and it’s a shame that this has become a big part of the film’s reputation. I haven’t seen Raging Bull, so I can’t Read more...

Lucky Them

Posted 1:33pm Sunday 10th May 2015 by Maya Dodd

Rating: 4/5 Have you ever wasted your life reminiscing over the one that got away? Maybe you pined after him as he sat in front of you in class until one day he just stopped showing up. Maybe she dropped you like last year’s Karen Walker sunnies, replacing you with an upgraded, new and Read more...

Boychoir

Posted 1:29pm Sunday 10th May 2015 by Shaun Swain

Rating: 3/5 There’s a fine line between a feel-good film and a predictably cheesy one. No matter how uplifting or audibly and visually stunning Boychoir is, Francois Girard’s drama teeters along this line like it’s a tightrope. Unfortunately, this film leans towards the Read more...

Beetroot, Blue Cheese and Candied Walnut Risotto

Posted 1:23pm Sunday 10th May 2015 by Sophie Edmonds

I’m writing this on a flight back from Wellington where I have just blown my monthly budget and my mind on a weekend’s worth of food. Oh my, was it worth it or what! One of the highlights was this epic beef cheek and red wine risotto that reminded me how much I love risotto. I sometimes Read more...

Picture/Poem: The Imagery of Joanna Margaret Paul & Cilla McQueen

Posted 1:14pm Sunday 10th May 2015 by Loulou Callister-Baker

Picture/Poem: The Imagery of Joanna Margaret Paul & Cilla McQueen is an exhibition centred on friendship. In its intimacy, its cleverness, and its written and visual imagery of Dunedin, the experience of the show is moving. Although both artists traverse disciplines — the exhibition Read more...

Horoscope | Issue 10

Posted 2:14pm Sunday 3rd May 2015 by Madame McMystery

Do you struggle with making basic life decisions? Worried about never bumping into your campus soulmate, or whether to eat two-minute noodles for every dinner this week? Fear not, chums, for I, Madame McMystery, have gazed deep into the cosmos to reveal the secrets the planetary alignments hold in Read more...

Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate

Posted 2:08pm Sunday 3rd May 2015 by Cheyanne Intemann

Rating: 4/5 The Monster Hunter series is unlike any other; the games are pretty much a genre unto themselves. When you pick up Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, or MH4U, you’re going to be pitted against some of the most interesting, intimidating monsters you’ve ever seen — and Read more...

Avengers: Rage of Ultron

Posted 2:04pm Sunday 3rd May 2015 by Brandon Johnstone

Avengers: Rage of Ultron, written by Rick Remender and with art by Jerome Opeña, is Marvel Comics’ latest original graphic novel, this time about a logical, learning robot/AI (artificial intelligence) that just wants to kill everything alive. Long-time Marvel readers will know this AI, Read more...

Singles in Review

Posted 1:59pm Sunday 3rd May 2015 by Basti Menkes

Jamie xx - "Gosh" British producer Jamie xx is a master at making a handful of ingredients sound like a lot. Despite the understated style of his indie pop band, The xx, Jamie is able to take even their most diminutive compositions and make them sound vast. A good case in point is Read more...

Gorillaz Sound System

Posted 1:52pm Sunday 3rd May 2015 by Basti Menkes

Rating: 1/5 As a big Gorillaz fan, I was intrigued by the curiously-titled Gorillaz Sound System coming to Dunedin. Sure, the name gave away that it wasn’t going to be a bona fide Gorillaz show, and I had no delusions that Damon Albarn might walk out onstage. The show was presented as a Read more...

Art Online

Posted 1:44pm Sunday 3rd May 2015 by Loulou Callister-Baker

Although it didn’t begin with a neigh, a horse certainly drew a global audience’s attention to the use of the internet as a medium for art. The Twitter account, @Horse_ebooks, which published seemingly automatic, computer-generated anecdotes like “Everything happens so much” Read more...

Chicken, Mushroom and Coriander Dumplings

Posted 1:42pm Sunday 3rd May 2015 by Sophie Edmonds

Dumplings are probably my favourite international dough and meat combo. After making three lots of dumplings this weekend, I thought it was time to share another of my favourite varieties. You can put whatever you want in a dumpling; any combination of mince, vegetable and herb will usually work. Read more...

Avengers: Age of Ultron

Posted 1:37pm Sunday 3rd May 2015 by Anonymous Bird

Rating 5/5 The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s latest instalment, Avengers: Age of Ultron, brings us back to the team, but now they’re working together and combining their powers to form a more cohesive and effective team that makes for one hell of an entertaining, fun and clever Read more...

Napoleon Dynamite

Posted 1:33pm Sunday 3rd May 2015 by Ella Borrie

Cult It’s impossible to have a lukewarm reaction to Napoleon Dynamite. The film divides people — you either adore its low-key absurdity or find it totally pointless. In fact, the movie is so polarising, it broke Netflix’s algorithm. The website couldn’t accurately Read more...

The Age of Adaline

Posted 1:28pm Sunday 3rd May 2015 by Shaun Swain

Rating: 2/5 There’s a special kind of disappointment when a film’s premise is extremely promising, presented well and then ruined by acts of “love” that endorse stalking and manipulation as valid responses to superficial admiration. The Age of Adaline is an epic Read more...

Horoscope | Issue 9

Posted 3:29pm Sunday 26th April 2015 by Madame McMystery

Do you struggle with making basic life decisions? Worried about never bumping into your campus soulmate, or whether to eat two-minute noodles for every dinner this week? Fear not, chums, for I, Madame McMystery, have gazed deep into the cosmos to reveal the secrets the planetary alignments hold in Read more...

The Secret Place

Posted 2:16pm Sunday 26th April 2015 by Bridget Vosburgh

The Secret Place, by Tana French, is a mystery thriller with a peculiarly timeless atmosphere considering how strongly based it is in modern times. The titular secret place is a board that a girls’ private school set up for their students to post their secrets on, in order to provide a Read more...

Samba

Posted 2:08pm Sunday 26th April 2015 by Simon Kingsley-Holmes

Rating: 4/5 People often say the best filmmaking is the sort you don’t notice, where you can just get involved with the characters and story; while that’s not necessarily true, in Samba this philosophy works beautifully. The film’s opening sequence shows the buzz of a tacky, Read more...

Game of Thrones, Season 5 (Episode 1)

Posted 2:04pm Sunday 26th April 2015 by Shaun Swain

TV It is hard to come by anyone who has not seen at least one episode of the high-fantasy TV series, Game of Thrones. While it is often assumed that everyone watches Game of Thrones, whether people have read the books is a completely different story. However, with the highly anticipated dawn of Read more...

It Follows

Posted 2:01pm Sunday 26th April 2015 by Jaxon Langley

Rating 5/5 In a genre so dried up and filled with clichés, It Follows is truly a dark horse. The film first premiered at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival with no trailer, no stars and very little information about the plotline. When I first saw the film, I walked in not knowing what I was Read more...

Woman in Gold

Posted 1:58pm Sunday 26th April 2015 by Ngarangi Haerewa

Rating: 3/5 Having arrived at the cinema with no background information on Woman in Gold, it’s safe to say I had minimal expectations for the film, which I eventually understood is based on the interesting battle between Maria Altmann and the Austrian government. Gustav Klimt’s Read more...

Summer Thieves

Posted 1:54pm Sunday 26th April 2015 by Daniel Munro

Born and raised in the D, the Summer Thieves have been making waves playing on some of the biggest line-ups Dunedin has seen in recent years. They are currently recording their debut album with the help of Tiki Taane and are joining him at Sammy’s this Saturday 2 May. The band is made up of Read more...

Tiki Taane

Posted 1:49pm Sunday 26th April 2015 by Daniel Munro

Tiki Taane is a multi-platinum New Zealand musician who has been involved with the likes of Shapeshifter and Salmonella Dub, as well as having a huge solo career. Critic caught up with Taane to discuss music, politics and even drag-racing ahead of his show at Sammy’s this weekend. Critic: Read more...

Ufomammut Ecate

Posted 1:43pm Sunday 26th April 2015 by Basti Menkes

Rating 4/5 Of all the music I have ever listened to, no band’s name and sound match each other better than Ufomammut’s. As good as “Radiohead” is at capturing a sense of millennial paranoia, or “King Crimson” at implying a sense of magic and majesty, the name Read more...

Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number

Posted 1:38pm Sunday 26th April 2015 by Lachlan Scown

Rating: 4/5 Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number is the grittier, more violent successor to the 2013 indie hit, Hotline Miami. Developed by Swedish independent duo, Jonatan Söderström and Dennis Wedin, of Dennaton Games, the game focuses on thirteen different characters over six acts. If you Read more...

Feijoa Cupcakes

Posted 1:30pm Sunday 26th April 2015 by Sophie Edmonds

It’s that time of year when feijoas are in. I don’t know about you, but every time I gain control over my excess feijoa situation, I seem to acquire more as my friends’ mums try to palm them off on me. Want to know a secret? This is just a banana cake with some feijoas thrown Read more...

Laurence Aberhart

Posted 1:23pm Sunday 26th April 2015 by Loulou Callister-Baker

For those familiar with Laurence Aberhart’s work, the current show on at Brett McDowell on Dowling Street doesn’t feel “new” — in multiple senses of the word. And it’s not just because Aberhart refuses the digital through his use of a large-format camera. Planted Read more...

Horoscope | Issue 8

Posted 3:37pm Sunday 19th April 2015 by Madame McMystery

Aries For the entire month of May, drawing hopscotch on the pavement next to Union lawn will have the same effect as drawing a pentagram to summon demons — except instead of Balthazar the Belligerent, you’ll be summoning up new friends! Taurus Ever feel like your friends are Read more...

A Troublesome Inheritance: Genes, Race, and Human History

Posted 3:30pm Sunday 19th April 2015 by Bridget Vosburgh

ATroublesome Inheritance: Genes, Race, and Human History, by Nicholas Wade, attempts to begin a discussion about the genetics of race and the impact of racism on studying them. Wade’s central premise is that the evolution of the human race has been recent, copious and regional, meaning that Read more...

Flight of the Navigator

Posted 3:26pm Sunday 19th April 2015 by Alex Campbell-Hunt

Classic Flight of the Navigator is the best live-action Disney film. It seems routine enough on the surface — a kid has some adventures in a spaceship — but the film is elevated by its dark atmosphere and its slowly unfolding plot. In 1978, 12-year-old protagonist, David Freeman Read more...

Marvel’s Daredevil, Season 1 (Episode 1)

Posted 3:22pm Sunday 19th April 2015 by Mandy Te

TV Following in the footsteps of the CW network, Netflix has recently released 13 episodes of its new superhero show, Marvel’s Daredevil. Created by Drew Goddard, this series takes on Stan Lee’s comic-book character but gives the Daredevil’s story a dark, modern-day twist Read more...

Dior and I

Posted 3:17pm Sunday 19th April 2015 by Maya Dodd

Rating: 4/5 When it comes to documentaries, I’m not a huge fan. It is no surprise then that I went into the cinema with considerably low expectations and the unnerving feeling that I was about to fail miserably at another test for ma classe française. Dior and I follows the Read more...

Furious 7

Posted 3:15pm Sunday 19th April 2015 by Shaun Swain

Rating: 4/5 The make-or-break factor when it comes to high-octane action films is the pacing. Master that, and you can demand all the suspension of disbelief that you want from your audience. The seventh instalment of The Fast and the Furious series proves itself, once again, as a very capable Read more...

Interview: Raiza Biza

Posted 3:06pm Sunday 19th April 2015 by Daniel Munro

Artist Raiza Biza has solidified himself in the New Zealand Hip Hop game with last year’s release of The Imperfectionist album. 2015 is set to be another big year for the talented artist so Critic caught up with him ahead of his show this Thursday night at ReFuel. Critic: To start, Read more...

Carl Barât & the Jackals: Let It Reign

Posted 2:58pm Sunday 19th April 2015 by Oliver Gaskell

Rating: 4/5 Carl Barât is best known as a member of The Libertines, a gang of British rock ’n’ roll rebels who, alongside bands like The Strokes and The White Stripes, were part of the 2000s garage rock revival. Darlings of the English music press, The Libertines captured the Read more...

Rune Factory 4

Posted 2:53pm Sunday 19th April 2015 by Bridget Vosburgh

Rating: 4/5 Rune Factory 4 is a Nintendo eShop-only release in New Zealand. Up until this instalment, the Rune Factory games were subtitled with “A Fantasy Harvest Moon”, as the series is a Harvest Moon spin-off. In the Harvest Moon games you run a farm while repeatedly giving gifts Read more...

Roast Tomato, Pumpkin and Capsicum Soup

Posted 2:47pm Sunday 19th April 2015 by Sophie Edmonds

It’s that time of year again when the electric blankets come out, the hot water bottles get cradled in lectures and your washing takes a week to dry. Soup starts to become a viable option for most meals as your bank balances become as miserable as the weather. When I was scrounging a free Read more...

iD2k16

Posted 2:38pm Sunday 19th April 2015 by Mya Middleton

iD2k16 is a #lifestyle choice. It is a #fun and #sexy brand expo. iD2k16 equates #health with wealth; be the healthiest you that you can be. iD2k16 explores a complex collection of issues including consumerism, fashion, brand and lifestyle culture, retail and art. It also critiques the authority Read more...

Horoscope | Issue 7

Posted 2:51pm Sunday 12th April 2015 by Madame McMystery

Do you struggle with making basic life decisions? Worried about never bumping into your campus soulmate, or whether to eat two-minute noodles for every dinner this week? Fear not, chums, for I, Madame McMystery, have gazed deep into the cosmos to reveal the secrets the planetary alignments hold in Read more...

InFamous: First Light

Posted 2:51pm Sunday 12th April 2015 by Brandon Johnstone

Rating: 2/5 InFamous: First Light is presented in an odd format. A tie-in to the larger title, InFamous: Second Son, and available for download and use without the player having to own the primary title, it’s not quite its own game yet it’s more than just a piece of downloadable content Read more...

The Grand Hotel

Posted 2:51pm Sunday 12th April 2015 by Bridget Vosburgh

Scott Kenemore’s novel, The Grand Hotel, is narrated by a desk clerk who makes it clear to the reader that he has a sinister ulterior motive when he volunteers to show a group of tourists around the mysterious hotel he works for. The first guest he takes the tourists to see is a desiccated Read more...

Theatre review: The War Play

Posted 2:51pm Sunday 12th April 2015 by Gini Jory

Rating: 4/5 In 2005, Private Jack Braithwaite and five other soldiers were pardoned and awarded medals for their service by Prime Minister Helen Clark under the Pardon for the Soldiers of the Great War Act 2000. The War Play focuses on the relatives of writer, Philip Braithwaite, and the scandal Read more...

Heathers

Posted 2:51pm Sunday 12th April 2015 by Mandy Te

Cult 80s coming-of-age films often deal with detention, skipping school, finally getting Jake Ryan to notice you and making your own clothes. However, Heathers breaks this mould with a plotline that is darker and deadlier than any John Hughes film. While Mean Girls is often hailed as Read more...

Infinitely Polar Bear

Posted 2:51pm Sunday 12th April 2015 by Ngarangi Haerewa

Rating: 4/5 On the spectrum of action-packed thrillers, Infinitely Polar Bear doesn’t even register, but it is in no way unremarkable. On the contrary, Infinitely Polar Bear fills a certain void that no amount of green-eyed anger ever could. Set in 1978, the film takes place at the Read more...

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge out of Water

Posted 2:51pm Sunday 12th April 2015 by Maya Dodd

Rating: 1/5 Filled with terrible puns, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge out of Water is a complete disaster that falls incredibly short of the beloved children’s cartoon that we all cherish and adore. Furthermore, with strange live-action and animation effects, I had to wonder if the director Read more...