Archive

The Prince of Soul and the Lighthouse

Posted 6:37pm Sunday 11th March 2012 by Sasha Borissenko

If you are not alarmed by the orange colour of the book-face, perhaps it is the Crouching-Tiger-Hidden-Dragon font that ought to be questioned. Superficiality aside, this fantasy-epic essentially involves the following storyline: Boy pines over exotic girl. Boy sings to girl. Boy has trouble Read more...

Shame

Posted 6:37pm Sunday 11th March 2012 by Alec Dawson

This film is a beautiful and explicit depiction of a taboo subject in the same league as Requiem for a Dream. But of all films it most reminded me of American Psycho, except the damage is far more hidden and self-inflicted. Michael Fassbender is brilliant as Brandon, who appears to be a regular (if Read more...

The Ides of March

Posted 6:37pm Sunday 11th March 2012 by Eve Duckworth

George Clooney’s new film The Ides of March tells us something we probably already knew: That the experience of running an American political campaign is damaging for both one’s heart and soul. In an atmosphere heavily dripping with betrayal it is easy from the outset to be drawn in amongst the Read more...

Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na BATMAN Ryan Adams

Posted 6:37pm Sunday 11th March 2012 by Josh Pemberton

Upon taking the stage at the Regent Theatre, Ryan Adams thanked the audience. “I’m excited to share my feelings with you,” he revealed. And share his feelings he did – starting with a slow, gentle rendition of “Oh My Sweet Carolina” from 2000’s classic Heartbreaker, before taking us on a Read more...

The Creation of Lana Del Ray

Posted 6:37pm Sunday 11th March 2012 by Lukas Clark-Memler

How do we talk about Lana Del Rey? We seem to focus on her Angelina Jolie-like lips, her glamorous ’50s vibe, and authenticity – well, authenticity comes up a lot whenever the sultry sex symbol is deconstructed. At this point it’s pretty much pointless to write about Del Rey’s music. So much has Read more...

Butter Chicken

Posted 6:37pm Sunday 11th March 2012 by Ines Shennan

Ah, the classic Kiwi curry. Carefully-balanced spices, not too much chilli and a devilishly rich sauce. Don’t get me wrong – I’m all for a wickedly hot lamb vindaloo, or an extra-spicy tikka masala, but sometimes a mild curry is all you need to settle yourself into a quite-content food coma. The Read more...

Bioshock Infinite

Posted 6:37pm Sunday 11th March 2012 by Toby Hills

In the aftermath of its first trailer, a friend of mine described Bioshock Infinite’s setting as predictable. “It’s like Pokemon: You’ve got the water ones, and then the fire guy, and then poison and then fucking Gastly and Gengar and shit.” Truthfully, a city in the sky is likely to be the Read more...

Theatre du Grind Guignol

Posted 4:53pm Sunday 4th March 2012 by Bronwyn Wallace

Directed by: Ben Blakely and Alex Wilson Theatre du Grind Guignol was the first evening production at Allen Hall this year, and what a great welcome home it was! Seeing familiar faces and taking a warm break inside from the rain felt great until the programme wished us “a terrifying evening”. Read more...

Sex: An Exercise in Boredom

Posted 4:53pm Sunday 4th March 2012 by Beaurey Chan

Kushana Bush “All Things To All Men” exhibition at Hocken Collection 25 February - 14 April There is a curious gathering occurring in the middle of nowhere. A dark-skinned man in a party hat seems to be the center of attention. Busy figures swarm around him, carrying out various tasks. Read more...

Monsieur Pain

Posted 4:53pm Sunday 4th March 2012 by Josef Alton

Paris, 1938: a Peruvian poet named Vallejo is dying of the hiccups in a hospital bed. Monsieur Pain is a mesmerist, a man living on a meager war pension; his lungs were scorched in Verdun. Two Spaniards are following him; General Franco has sacked España; the middle-aged war veteran is in love with Read more...

Mass Effect 3

Posted 4:53pm Sunday 4th March 2012 by Toby Hills

You know you’re an adult when you realise that Return of the Jedi is the worst of the trilogy. It’s rip-roaring fun, saturated with kooky creatures and clever Force manipulation, but nobody (except poor, innocent old Darth Vader) dies. Mass Effect 2 was strongly influenced by Empire Strikes Back, Read more...

MC Tali to headline Outlook Launch

Posted 4:53pm Sunday 4th March 2012 by Lauren Wootton

She’s the most successful female drum and bass MC of all time and she’s coming to Dunedin next week to MC this year’s annual Outlook Festival Launch Party. MC Tali is hitting Sammy’s on March 7th to MC for the dirrrrrrty drum ’n’ bass/dubstep that is the Outlook Festival Launch Party. It Read more...

I am Giant

Posted 4:53pm Sunday 4th March 2012 by Lauren Wootton

Thursday March 8 just got a little more exciting with the return of I am Giant to Dunedin. Supported by Cairo Knife Fight – the crazy-looking duo from last Friday’s show for Orientadium – the four-piece rock band are sure to put on a show worth seeing. I caught up with I am Giant’s bassist Paul Read more...

Moneyball

Posted 4:53pm Sunday 4th March 2012 by Staff Reporter

Director: Bennett Miller Moneyball is a different type of sports drama. Whether you like sports or not, from Moneyball’s many levels you will gain different insights – a peek into how Major league sports teams function behind closed doors and, at a deeper level, seeing a man’s struggle to fix Read more...

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Posted 4:53pm Sunday 4th March 2012 by Sarah Baillie

Director: Tomas Alfredson Based on the novel by John le Carré, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is an impressive adaptation of this Cold War-era spy drama. The film tracks George Smiley (Gary Oldman), a retired agent of the “circus” (the British intelligence unit) who is called back in to dig out a Read more...

Chorizo and Mushroom Risotto

Posted 4:53pm Sunday 4th March 2012 by Ines Shennan

Risotto is a favourite meal of mine. The simplest ingredients somehow combine to form a delicious, comforting dish that is incredibly easy to prepare. The process involves dry cooking the rice for a few minutes, then adding liquid in parts until the grains are creamy and just soft. Once you’ve Read more...

Lunchtime Theatre Round One!

Posted 5:05pm Saturday 25th February 2012 by Bronwyn Wallace

Allen Hall Lunchtime Theatre is back with a bang! After a soothing summer break we’re straight back in to it with the newly-named CIA Stand Up Comedy (formerly known as AntiSocial Tap) heading the LTT programme. For those of you who have been living under a rock, Lunchtime Theatre is arguably the Read more...

Be | Longing: A Verbatim Play

Posted 5:04pm Saturday 25th February 2012 by Bronwyn Wallace

Written by: Theatre Studies, University of Otago Directed by: Hilary Halba and Stuart Young From the makers of Hush comes a new documentary play focusing on stories from people who have migrated to New Zealand, and asking what it means to belong to a country and culture. This unique kind Read more...

The Motor Camp

Posted 5:03pm Saturday 25th February 2012 by Bronwyn Wallace

Written by: Dave Armstrong, Directed by: Conrad Newport Any comedy with a “Dutch fascist” issuing orders limiting the maximum weight of children allowed on the trampoline is going to be a winner in my book. Add to the mix that this is a quintessentially Kiwi story, put together by a Read more...

Finding the Loophole

Posted 4:59pm Saturday 25th February 2012 by Beaurey Chan

Dunedin Community Gallery, 20 Princes Street 15-29 February Rob Piggott’s “Loop Series” works 1999-2012 You can’t help but be impressed by the bold nature of the “Loop Series”, a collection of paintings by Dunedin-based artist Rob Piggott. Large canvases, cut into interesting but Read more...

Karam Kazam!

Posted 4:57pm Saturday 25th February 2012 by Josef Alton

Before we start, I have a question for you. Do you want a book review, or an opinion? I find it amazing how often people want a book that affirms their beliefs, rather than a book that challenges them. Joe Karam’s fourth book on the David Bain saga, Trial By Ambush, will no doubt challenge some Read more...

Skyrim

Posted 4:53pm Saturday 25th February 2012 by Bryn Jones

Skyrim should come with a warning: do not start playing lest you are willing to sacrifice body, soul, and hundreds of hours to the cause. Skyrim is the fifth installment of a long-standing series in which freedom and scope are as important, if not more so, than gameplay and storytelling. Thus it was Read more...

Second Skin

Posted 4:44pm Saturday 25th February 2012 by Lauren Wootton

Dunedin band Knives at Noon sat down with Critic reporter Lauren Wootton to pop her interviewing cherry, and discuss their new EP. Opening for Shihad at Orientation last Friday, Knives at Noon were amping to share the stage with a band they have looked up to since before they were freshers Read more...

The Descendants

Posted 4:40pm Saturday 25th February 2012 by Lulu Sandston

Director: Alexander Payne The Descendants opens with Matt King (George Clooney) - the wealthy descendant of Hawaiian royalty - sitting with his comatose wife Elizabeth questioning how he is going to raise his two daughters, having been the “understudy” parent for the last decade. A rocky Read more...

The Artist

Posted 4:38pm Saturday 25th February 2012 by Loulou Callister-Baker

Director: Michel Hazanavicius You may think that the silent film genre is basically Fever Club in black and white - the background music increasing in intensity as a stray cougar approaches the object of your desire… It’s not. If you’re interested in film, you should reset those ideas and go Read more...

Hello Saucy

Posted 4:20pm Saturday 25th February 2012 by Ines Shennan

Move beyond frozen meals, mi goreng and toast, into a world of simple, delicious meals which you’ll enjoy cooking. Stock your freezer with meat as it comes on special, use vegetables in season and don’t buy one of those shitty $2 can openers, because tinned food is now your friend. Here are the Read more...

Definitive Cuts: Fabric Sculptures: Sebastian Reynard

Posted 4:01am Monday 17th October 2011 by Hana Aoake

AS IS, 377 Princes St Sebastian Reynard’s Definitive Cuts at AS IS features an assemblage of floating fabric sculptures dangling from the ceiling. It challenges our value system, making us question what art is, what craft is, and subverting the notion of what is Read more...

Blue Velvet (1986)

Posted 3:57am Monday 17th October 2011 by Ben Blakely

Directed/written: David lynch Jeffrey Beaumont (MacLachlan) makes an unexpected return home from university (or “college”, as this is set in the US) after his father suffers a stroke while watering the garden. On the way home from the hospital, Jeffery comes across a human ear Read more...

Norwegian Wood

Posted 3:53am Monday 17th October 2011 by Frances Stannard

Director: Anh Hung Tran (3.5/5) Sometimes books should stay as books. Nothing undermines an original more than a failed attempt at a movie. But Norwegian Wood really does achieve the enthralling and damaging sense of the classic 1987 novel by Haruki Murakami.   It is Tokyo in the Read more...

The Orator

Posted 3:50am Monday 17th October 2011 by Eve Duckworth

Director: Tusi Tamasese I went into the Rialto having read many a good review for The Orator, even rumours of an Oscar nomination. I left not knowing if I had gone to see the same film.   If you want to watch a beautiful portrait of the intricacies of Samoan culture - its faith, its Read more...

Real Steel

Posted 3:41am Monday 17th October 2011 by Lauren Hayes

Director: Shawn Levy (3/5) Robots are always fantastically awesome, especially when blown up to titanic size on the big screen. Fresh from Hollywood, Real Steel is the latest blockbuster to cash in on the robot craze. It's a slick effort. The film is set sometime in the not-so-distant future, Read more...

The Smurfs

Posted 3:36am Monday 17th October 2011 by Daniel F. Benson-Guiu

Director: Raja Gosnell (3.5/5)   It started off as a smurfing good afternoon. With a Smurf combo in hand, we barged small children out of the way to get the best seats. A cool kids movie for the start of the holidays, young and old alike will be entertained by these little blue men (and Read more...

It was the best of times, it was the blurst of times

Posted 3:29am Monday 17th October 2011 by Sam Valentine

In the now established tradition, Critic presents our end of year recap; the best of music in two thousand and eleven. Props if you picked up on The Simpsons reference in the title. The Best Albums of 2011 Zomby – Dedication A dense, dark and well-produced take of some of Read more...

Pick of the Mothras

Posted 5:20am Monday 10th October 2011 by Critic

Every year, a brave few enter their amateur films into the OUSA Mothras, seeking fame, glory, and prestigious Mothra awards. All of the films will be screened between October 11 and 14 at the Church Cinema, Dundas St, but for now, we present our pick of the bunch.   Looking for Love in all Read more...

Director Profile - Quentin Tarantino

Posted 5:17am Monday 10th October 2011 by Tom Ainge-Roy

There are very few directors who can claim the accolades of an Academy Award, Golden Globe, BAFTA and the Palme d’Or as well as multiple Emmy and Grammy nominations. When you add in the extra details that this one particular director is also a high school drop out with an IQ of 160 the Read more...

The Lion King 3D

Posted 5:16am Monday 10th October 2011 by Julia Hollingsworth

Director: Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff (4/5) It’s a movie dear to the hearts of Gen Y-ers everywhere. For a time, if there was an occasion that required a group of children to shut up and be quiet, it was the movie that fit the brief; if there was a need for a new song to update the school Read more...

Shark Night 3D

Posted 5:14am Monday 10th October 2011 by Critic

Director: David R. Ellis (2/5) Shark Night 3D revolves around a group of college kids who decide to spend a weekend at their friend Sara’s lake house. What starts out as a fun trip takes a turn for the worse; when the star football player stumbles from the salt-water lake with his arm torn Read more...

27th Terrain: The Co-Ordinates of Home

Posted 5:10am Monday 10th October 2011 by Maya Turei

Bi-Cultural Theatre Class (3.5/5)    27th Terrain: the Co-ordinates of Home was a devised piece by the Bi-Cultural Theatre class. I enjoyed myself a lot. Sometimes I didn't quite understand it, but I definitely had a good time. Personally I think that devised theatre is best created Read more...

Incredibly Hot Sex with Hideous People - Bryce Galloway

Posted 5:08am Monday 10th October 2011 by Sarah Maessen

(4/5) I think the first port of call for this review is to point out that this book is not about sex (apart from the occasional reference) or hideous people (as far as the sparse photographs show). It is an abridged collection of the first 37 issues of Bryce Galloway’s fanzine. Generally Read more...

Boredom, You Conqueror - Ink Mathematics

Posted 5:06am Monday 10th October 2011 by Sam Valentine

(3/5) Dunedin isn’t exactly short on fine purveyors’ of the sonically heavy. Hell, Made in China, Soulseller and Mountaineater can all be downright punishing, while this year’s battle of the bands winners’ A.F.F.C.O might be the sludgiest and angriest band in the entire Read more...

The Hunter - Mastodon

Posted 5:04am Monday 10th October 2011 by Basti Menkes

(2.5/5) After hitting their commercial and creative stride with 2009's celestial Crack the Skye, American heavy metal outfit Mastodon return with their most vanilla album to date. Felicitously titled The Hunter, this back-to-basics approach to their very own progressive sludge style seems Read more...

Date Cups

Posted 5:02am Monday 10th October 2011 by Niki Lomax

I cannot take credit for these. Much to everyone’s delight, one of my flatmates has recently taken it upon himself to become a baking king. This is a significant turn around from previous years where his aversion to following recipes led to some strange kitchen concoctions. Most Read more...

Samin Son - Hammer Piece

Posted 5:00am Monday 10th October 2011 by Hana Aoake

None Gallery, 24 Stafford Street It is difficult to articulate the sense of anguish and pain reflected in Samin Son’s Hammer piece. I felt as though I were submerged inside Son’s subconscious, as if no words would be adequate to describe how such an intense experience affected Read more...

Worms: Ultimate Mayhem

Posted 4:57am Monday 10th October 2011 by Toby Hills

Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3, PC (3/5) “Ultimate mayhem?”, you say. How can this incarnation of Worms possibly be the apotheosis of anarchy when it has only been rated E10+ by the ESRB? Worms: Ultimate Mayhem might be a misnomer but it's still Worms (albeit 3D Worms) and it is still Read more...

Burnout CRASH!

Posted 4:55am Monday 10th October 2011 by Toby Hills

Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3 (2.5/5) Speed limits mean that cars don't matter. It's harsh, I know, but that's the truth. It doesn't matter if your car is a V13 with big-ol’ fuel injected cutoffs and chrome plated rods (oh yeah), it will stagnate and slowly die, never able to achieve its Read more...

Gary Numan – Dead Son Rising

Posted 4:12am Monday 3rd October 2011 by Basti Menkes

(5/5) Salvaged from the cutting-room floor, this collection of previously unfinished songs continues in a similar vein to Numan’s 2006’s anthemic opus Jagged, and thanks to collaborator/programmer extraordinaire Ade Fenton, Gary’s atheistic industrial sound he established Read more...

Simon Attwool - Not Afraid

Posted 4:11am Monday 3rd October 2011 by Hana Aoake

With cascading light dancing into the space, a series of paintings with slices of glitter and flamboyantly coloured paint radiate across the desolate gallery floor. Simon Attwool is a graduate of the Dunedin School of Art and is currently based in Melbourne. Not Read more...

Win Win

Posted 4:09am Monday 3rd October 2011 by Tom Ainge-Roy

Director: Tom McCarthy (3/5) Strong performances from the entire cast anchor Tom McCarthy’s Win Win and are no doubt what’s responsible for its overall good reviews and 94% ‘fresh’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes. While I can’t really say anything bad about it, Paul Read more...

Little White Lies

Posted 4:07am Monday 3rd October 2011 by Eve Duckworth

Director: Guillaume Canet (2.5/5) Nothing, but nothing, will stand between the French middle classes and their hols, though a bunch of friends do pause for thought when their friend is left in a coma after a motorbike spill in Paris.   Guillaume Canet’s 2010 French film Little Read more...

Friends with Benefits

Posted 4:05am Monday 3rd October 2011 by Nicole Muriel

Director: Will Gluck (3/5) If you’re someone who loves the occasional film that can be ingested passively – a comfortingly familiar storyline, light comedy, attractive people, pretty set-ups and, of course, lots of romance-y stuff, even some sex – then Friends with Read more...