Archive

Before Sunrise

Posted 5:35pm Monday 15th August 2016 by Joe Higham

Rating A- If you were to have spontaneously asked that attractive man/woman you saw in your day-to-day life to spend the day with you, it could’ve ended in a similar way to Before Sunrise­except it never would. Celine (Julie Delphy) and Jesse (Ethan Hawke) find themselves on the same Read more...

Stranger Things

Posted 5:32pm Monday 15th August 2016 by Anonymous Bird

Rating: A+ Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) has gone missing, his mother Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder) is certain he is still alive and is determined to find him. Will’s brother Jonathan Byers (Charlie Heaton) is devastated—watching his mother seemingly lose her mind in her desperation to Read more...

Why do we need…Anonymous?

Posted 5:28pm Monday 15th August 2016 by Anthony Marris

Anonymous is a collective of computer enthusiasts who have a far-reaching presence in both the real world and the online one. Seen on Youtube clips wearing the mask from V for Vendetta, as well as having electronically distorted voices, they are often called a “hacktivist” group (from Read more...

Felix Harris & Mate Pavic

Posted 5:24pm Monday 15th August 2016 by Lucy Hunter

Works by Felix Harris and Mate Pavic is an experience in the darker parts of humanity. The two artists were paired by gallery owner Inge Doesburg, who saw Harris’ work and contacted Pavic in The Netherlands. Pavic’s works look as though they have been done in a frenzy, with black ink Read more...

Highlights at Hocken: Documenting the History of New Zealand Art

Posted 5:21pm Monday 15th August 2016 by Monique Hodgkinson

In a world where everyone knows the names Leonardo da Vinci, Vincent Van Gogh and Pablo Picasso, it’s easy to assume that all art of value comes from overseas. In actual fact, the art history of New Zealand is arguably just as rich, inspiring, and fascinating as that of Europe. And better Read more...

Edinburgh Realty Premier Art Awards

Posted 5:15pm Monday 15th August 2016 by Carolijn Guytonbeck

Art awards can be such a fascinating mélange of art, giving a wide insight into the range of currently produced artwork. They can also be fun as there are times when you have those 'go figure' moments in seeing the winners. There usually is the option to have your democratic say and Read more...

Black Memories

Posted 5:10pm Monday 15th August 2016 by Millicent Lovelock

Dunedin artists Jessie Lee Robertson and Josh Hunter gave one simple explanation for their show, Black Memories, 'The Devil is in the detail' This statement is equally applicable to both artists and their work, but differs in application. Robertson offers perhaps more intricate work, with Read more...

Long Way North

Posted 4:09pm Monday 8th August 2016 by Anonymous Bird

Rating: A Playing at The Regent: Sunday, August 21 - 1:15pm Long Way North is a beautifully animated fictional historical film set in 19th century Russia. The story follows Sasha, a resilient and determined 15-year-old young woman. Sasha’s beloved explorer grandfather has gone Read more...

Tanna

Posted 4:05pm Monday 8th August 2016 by Shaun Swain

Rating: A Playing at Rialto: Wednesday, August 10 - 11:30am When dealing with a cast of men and women of vastly varying ages, none of whom have ever acted, you run insurmountable risk. So in directing one of the only remaining traditional tribes, Bentley Dean and Martin Butler face Read more...

Under the Shadow

Posted 3:59pm Monday 8th August 2016 by Alex Campbell-Hunt

Rating: A- Playing at Rialto Friday, August 12 - 8:30pm Wednesday, August - 17 4:15pm Under The Shadow is set in Tehran during the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s, and follows a family trying to survive two terrifying things: the constant threat of bombing, and the sudden presence of Read more...

Another Country

Posted 3:54pm Monday 8th August 2016 by Lisa Blakie

Rating: A Playing at Rialto: Sunday, August 14 - 11:15am Thursday, August 18 - 2:15pm A story told by Australian actor David Gulpilil, Another Country examines the township of Ramingining in the Northern Territory of Australia and the postcolonial ramifications of enforcing Read more...

Just the Tips

Posted 1:07pm Sunday 7th August 2016 by Anonymous Bird

Review: Anonymous Bird Just the Tips is the ideal coffee table book for any visitors to have a flick through. Written by the authors of Sex Criminals, (a graphic novel series about people who have sex and upon orgasm, freeze time, and do crime,) this little pink book contains their best sex tips. Read more...

Elizabeth is Missing

Posted 1:05pm Sunday 7th August 2016 by Hayleigh Clarkson

Review: Hayleigh Clarkson Elizabeth is Missing is a haunting novel of love and mystery. Maud is a forgetful old woman who can’t remember where she is or why she went to the shops. She forgets her own daughter, doesn’t remember moving house and makes endless cups of tea that she Read more...

Why do we need…Computer enthusiasts?

Posted 12:56pm Sunday 7th August 2016 by Anthony Marris

I use the term computer enthusiasts to describe a group of people most refer to as hackers, crackers, black hats, white hats, systems analysts, security testers, etc. This group of people test the limits of technology looking for weakness. Some try to make a living by looking for zero day exploits Read more...

Dark Souls III

Posted 12:54pm Sunday 7th August 2016 by Campbell Calverley

What a pleasant surprise for me that Dark Souls III came out on my birthday! I have been a massive fan of From Software’s esoteric and brutally difficult Souls games for a long time now. I finished the first Dark Souls game for the second time earlier this year. I’ve never gotten tired Read more...

Songs of note

Posted 12:39pm Sunday 7th August 2016 by Millicent Lovelock

'Heretic'—Peach Milk Auckland electronic music producer Peach Milk has just released her EP ‘Finally’. ‘Heretic’, the second track, combines swelling soundscapes with frantic, crisp percussion, and disembodied vocals. The track opens with a slow, rising Read more...

The 5th Eye

Posted 12:33pm Sunday 7th August 2016 by Anonymous Bird

Critic spoke to Errol Wright and Abi King-Jones, directors of The 5th Eye, a film making it’s debut at the New Zealand International Film Festival. Eight years in the making, and finished only three weeks prior to the beginning of the festival, this surprising and informative film tackles the Read more...

Star Trek: Beyond

Posted 12:28pm Sunday 7th August 2016 by Alex Campbell-Hunt

Rating: B In this third instalment of the rebooted Star Trek film series, director Justin Lin of the Fast & Furious franchise takes over the helm from J. J. Abrams. This mercifully means fewer lens flares, but sadly also steers the movie towards being a mindless action flick.  In Star Read more...

Ghostbusters

Posted 12:25pm Sunday 7th August 2016 by Lisa Blakie

Rating: B I only watched Ghostbusters (1984) for the first time last year. I thought the characters were kinda boring and the story was a bit silly and didn’t really understand the hype. Going into Ghostbusters (2016), I had pretty low expectations and zero nostalgia for the original Read more...

Demolition

Posted 12:23pm Sunday 7th August 2016 by Samuel Rillstone

Rating: B Demolition directed by Jean-Marc Vallee tells the story of investment banker Davis Mitchell (Jake Gyllenhaal), who tragically loses his wife in a car accident, and follows the essential grieving process that follows. What starts as a complaint letter to a vending machine company turns Read more...