Archive

An Open Letter of support

Posted 4:47am Monday 25th July 2011 by Dudley Benson

from New Zealand musician Dudley Benson regarding the future of Radio One 91FM As an independent artist originally from Christchurch, having been based in Auckland for the last five years and now living in Dunedin, I have spent a significant amount of time and energy working with and listening Read more...

Infamous 2

Posted 4:45am Monday 25th July 2011 by Hamish Gavin

Platforms: Playstation 3, (4/5). Infamous 2 is a slick sequel to the 2009 open world action adventure game. It manages to stay true to the elements that made the original a success, while adding enough new features and contains a well enough scripted plot to keep things interesting. While the Read more...

Hungry and Frozen

Posted 4:42am Monday 25th July 2011 by Laura Vincent

This week Critic is lucky enough to have a guest contributor - Laura Vincent of popular food blog hungryandfrozen.blogspot.com. Laura started food blogging when she was a broke student, so she understands the pain of loving butter but having no money. Check out her blog for other delicious recipes Read more...

The Company Men

Posted 4:39am Monday 25th July 2011 by Tom Ainge-Roy

Directed by: John Wells, (3.5/5). The Company Men focuses on three men who lose their jobs at the beginning of the recession due to corporate downsizing. Each man considered himself irreplaceable, and after giving their life to their work they find themselves stranded, struggling to find Read more...

Beyond

Posted 4:38am Monday 25th July 2011 by Eve Duckworth

Directed by: Pernilla August. (4/5). Previously seen in the Millennium trilogy, Noomi Rapace lives up to her newfound fame in Beyond, a domestic drama centred on alcohol abuse and misguided love. Set in Sweden, Rapace plays Leena, a wife and mother who has spent years shaking the painful Read more...

Kung Fu Panda 2

Posted 4:37am Monday 25th July 2011 by Loulou Callister-Baker

Directed by: Jennifer Yuh, (3.5/5). Kung Fu Panda 2 is a visual power-punch despite its sloppy narrative footwork. It opens with a marvelous animation technique influenced by Chinese paper cutting, the first of three different types of animation used in this visually expert and creative Read more...

Potiche

Posted 4:35am Monday 25th July 2011 by Michaela Hunter

Directed by: François Ozon, (4/5) Based on a play from the Seventies, Potiche (“Trophy Wife”) is set in 1977 in provincial France and revolves around the struggles of Suzanne Pujol (Catherine Deneuve) and the dysfunctional relationships of the Pujol family. When her husband Robert Read more...

Screwjack

Posted 3:53am Monday 25th July 2011 by Sarah Maessen

Author: Hunter S Thompson, (4/5), Screwjack is a small collection of three short stories. Initially only 300 collector’s copies and 26 leather bound books were published, and one could expect to pay upwards of a thousand dollars for a copy.   The book is introduced by Read more...

Ralph Hotere: Zero to Inifinity

Posted 3:51am Monday 25th July 2011 by Hana Aoake

The Hocken Gallery, Cnr Anzac Ave & Parry Street Ralph Hotere is New Zealand’s most revered living painter. Zero to Infinity consists of fifty works and incorporates a broad range of Hotere’s paintings from his celebrated milestones, to his political works to his lesser-known Read more...

My Manifesto

Posted 12:05am Tuesday 12th July 2011 by Jen Aitken

On the State of Theatre at the Start of Semester Two, 2011. Having recently returned from Melbourne, I am distressed. I saw a play, Sarajevo Suite. It was amazing, mind-altering in its simplicity and beauty. It was on at a theatre called La Mama which is an old house converted into a theatre, Read more...

THE TUTOR

Posted 12:03am Tuesday 12th July 2011 by Jen Aitken

Written by Dave Armstrong, directed by Patrick Davies Fortune Theatre. The Tutor comes to us from the nationally acclaimed and award winning writer of Bro’ Town and Seven Periods With Mr Gormsby (which if you haven’t seen you should), Dave Armstrong. The Tutor depicts the Read more...

Lady Gaga. Born This Way.

Posted 11:25pm Monday 11th July 2011 by Amelia Pond

What I want from a Lady Gaga album is something that you can learn all the words to and then sing as you bounce violently around your living room after one too many glasses of goon. (I was actually busted doing this very thing by an unexpected visitor quite recently.) ‘The Fame’ delivered that, but Read more...

An open letter of support

Posted 11:20pm Monday 11th July 2011 by James Milne

from James Milne aka Lawrence Arabia regarding the future of Dunedin's Radio One. "To whom it may concern, This is a note in support of the ongoing work of Radio One within the context of the OUSA and the Dunedin community as a whole. Over the past eight years as a professional Read more...

Trenched

Posted 11:17pm Monday 11th July 2011 by Toby Hills

Platform: XBLA, (4.5/5). Because WWI trenches, as games teach us over and over again, were loads of fun. And kind of had a steam-punk vibe to them, which is always cool. The style of Double Fine's Trenched, pushes those ideals as far as they can reasonably be expected to go in an alternate Read more...

Duke Nukem Forever

Posted 11:15pm Monday 11th July 2011 by Hamish Gavin

Platforms: PC, Mac, Xbox 360, Playstation 3, (2.5/5). It’s finally out. Duke Nukem Forever. A game we’ve all been waiting fifteen long years for, ever since we first cast our eyes on the almighty landmark of first person shooter history, the granddaddy of interactive violent video Read more...

Falafelicious Falafel

Posted 11:13pm Monday 11th July 2011 by Sharin Shaik

First week back and no doubt everyone is already missing mum’s well-stocked fridge. No need to settle for Indomee or baked beans just yet. This week Critic brings you a simple and delicious recipe for homemade falafel. This recipe is so easy, not to mention more filling and healthier than instant Read more...

Cafe Review - St Daves Cafe

Posted 11:08pm Monday 11th July 2011 by Pippa Schaffler

Inside St Daves on the corner, (2/5). Prices: Flat White: $3.70, Long Black: $3, Mocha: $4.20   Why I came here: I needed a study break during exams and this was the closest place open on the weekend.    Atmosphere: Busy and tired.   Service: Not Read more...

My Afternoons With Margueritte

Posted 11:06pm Monday 11th July 2011 by Hamish Gavin

Director: Jean Becker, (4/5). The title of this quaint and charming French film translates into English as ‘Dunderhead’. I’m not sure which title I prefer, but I think the English one captures the mood of the film slightly more. Though to assume that the only thing in Read more...

Bridesmaids

Posted 11:04pm Monday 11th July 2011 by Nicole Muriel

Director: Paul Feig, (4/5). You’ve probably already heard about Bridesmaids: it’s been touted as ‘The Hangover for women’ and audiences, mainly female, are flocking to it in hordes. So is Bridesmaids as funny as the publicity implies? The short answer is yes. But Read more...

Bad Teacher

Posted 11:02pm Monday 11th July 2011 by Madeleine Wright

Director: Jake Kasdan, (2/5). You can be certain that with Bad Teacher – keeping in mind the title, the seductive advertising campaign and of course, Cameron Diaz – what you see is definitely what you get. Diaz stars in her stereotypical role as Elizabeth, a school teacher with a Read more...

Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon

Posted 11:01pm Monday 11th July 2011 by Gareth Barton

Directed by: Michael Bay, (4/5). The thing I love about the Transformers movies and the original, awesome, cartoons is that despite being a race of super advanced robots they always end up fighting with swords. First things first, the biggest change in this latest of money-makers is that Megan Read more...

Blacula (1972)

Posted 10:56pm Monday 11th July 2011 by Ben Blakely

Directed by: William Crain. Staring: William Marshall, Vonetta McGee, Thalmus Resulala. Long before Edward, Bill and Eric graced us with their undead presence there was Blacula. African Prince Mamuwalde (Marshall) meets with the one and only Count Dracula to arrange the end of slave trade. Read more...

One Day

Posted 4:31am Monday 11th July 2011 by Niki Lomax

Author: David Nicholls, (4.5/5) One Day is one of the best books I’ve read in a while. It begins in Edinburgh in 1988 with two recently graduated uni students having what they assume will be a one-night stand. Immediately I felt like the target demographic. This one night fling turns Read more...

GLUE GALLERY: 26 STAFFORD STREET

Posted 4:27am Monday 11th July 2011 by Hana Aoake

Sometimes even walking into a contemporary art space can be a daunting experience. Contemporary art venues have a tendency to feel inaccessible. However, Glue Gallery and Shop, a new space located on Stafford Street, is designed specifically to address this issue. Having a strong community Read more...

Voyager Seven

Posted 4:17am Monday 11th July 2011 by Jen Aitken

THEA152 Technology Class, (4.5/5). The point of the “Voyager” assignments is to get the THEA152 students to work together and create a show displaying all of the skills they have learnt over the past semester. Sometimes these shows can be technological but dull. Sometimes they can Read more...

Hangman – Sampler CD Review

Posted 3:54am Monday 11th July 2011 by Basti Menkes

Otherwise untitled, this 6-track sample album from Auckland quartet Hangman attempts to pick up from where other funk-rock groups left off. The hip-hop vocals are reminiscent of Zack de la Rocha, the Red Hot Chili Pepper-style basslines are faintly catchy, and the pornographic wah-wah Read more...

Chickstock

Posted 3:51am Monday 11th July 2011 by Sam Valentine

With music’s often perceived reliance on alcohol (both for performance and paycheques), Chickstock - an all ages, nonprofit event run for local high school acts - proved refreshingly naïve. Organised by the dedicated Jessica Young, under the guise of the Chicks Project, with ten local high school Read more...

To-Fu: The Trials of Chi

Posted 3:45am Monday 11th July 2011 by Toby Hills

Platform: iOS, (2/5). You're a simple block of tofu. The ninjutsu discipline to which you are totally dedicated does not look kindly on the superficial practises of faux-meat meals: such as the tofurkey or the toficken. Humbleness is of utmost importance, as represented by the simple red Read more...

Firefly Hero

Posted 3:44am Monday 11th July 2011 by Toby Hills

Platform: iOS, (4/5). Trute? Flumpet, maybe? In any case, It's irrelevant what I call the solo, synthesized instrument, of brassy and fluty timbre, that provides the musical context for Firefly Hero. Just like the game's visual style, fundamental mechanics and 'story', it is as simple and Read more...

Study Comfort Food

Posted 3:41am Monday 11th July 2011 by Johanna Tonnon and Susie Krieble

Thanks to everyone who contributed recipes this semester. I hope volunteers and readers have a very merry exam season and a happy winter break. Baking/cooking/eating is an amazing procrastination technique during exams and this week Johanna Tonnon and Susie Krieble bring you some brilliant Read more...

Cafe Review - The Church

Posted 3:37am Monday 11th July 2011 by Pippa Schaffler

50 Dundas St, beside Alhambra field, (1/5). Prices: Flat White: $4, Long Black: $3, Mocha: $4   Why I came here: After hearing everything from rave reviews to disturbing diatribes I thought it was time for a friend and me to provide our own verdict.   Atmosphere: One Read more...

Hook, Line and Sinker

Posted 3:33am Thursday 7th July 2011 by Michaela Hunter

Directed by Andrea Bosshard and Shane Loader, (3/5). Prior to viewing this film, I was impressed by its grassroots origins; it was shot over 5 weeks with a crew of 12, a cast of 100, in 35 different locations, on a cash budget of less than $40,000 and self-distributed to 47 screens around the Read more...

Hoodwinked Too: Hood vs. Evil

Posted 3:31am Thursday 7th July 2011 by Madeleine Wright

Directed by Mike Disa, (2/5). When a movie screens at 4pm every day during the week with no alternative, it’s a fairly safe bet that the average age of the target market is somewhere between 7 and 14. Hoodwinked Too: Hood vs. Evil fits this model perfectly. It had everything a modern Read more...

The Hangover Part II

Posted 3:28am Thursday 7th July 2011 by Nick Hornstein

Directed by Todd Phillips, (4/5). Disclaimer: If you haven’t watched the The Hangover (2009), go and do so before reading this. With The Hangover earning more than $467 million worldwide – the top grossing R-rated comedy of all time – it was no surprise that director Todd Read more...

Reflections of the Past

Posted 3:25am Thursday 7th July 2011 by Sarah Baillie

Directed by Alexander Roman, (1.5/5) Morbid curiosity and a long time obsession with the film Heavenly Creatures lured me to Rialto to see this documentary about the Parker-Hulme murder case of 1954. A film with the potential to be a fascinating exploration of this dark stain on New Read more...

The Wizard of Gore (1970)

Posted 5:04am Wednesday 6th July 2011 by Ben Blakely

Director: Herschell Gordon Lewis, Starring: Ray Sager, Judy Cler, Wayne Ratay. I first came across The Wizard of Gore when it was mentioned in the movie Juno and I decided I needed to know more. Could this be the goriest movie ever? I intended to find out. The premise is pretty Read more...

Looking swell while studying up a storm

Posted 4:22am Wednesday 6th July 2011 by Mahoney Turnbull

Campus Perspective La Femme Exams + fashion. Not a wholly happy combination. In fact, a damn hard equation to nut out. Exams are like the fatal bullet of bogan-esque brutality, reducing even the most elegant to debased forms of style, especially with this haphazard weather of late. Read more...

The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul

Posted 4:04am Wednesday 6th July 2011 by Sarah Maessen

Author: Deborah Rodriguez, Publisher: Bantam, (1/5). I will admit it from the outset; I didn’t finish this book. It looked like a light, easy read, probably about women with troubles finding friendship. My first mistake was to browse the back. A quote caught my eye: “as if Read more...

Justin Spiers: Castleland.

Posted 3:58am Wednesday 6th July 2011 by Hana Aoake

Blue Oyster Project Space With the potential to both repel and capture the viewer, Justin Spires’ photographs in his Castleland exhibition enable the viewer to feel as though they are sneaking into and infiltrating an array of fortresses. Castleland is formulated around the purpose of a Read more...

Michaela Cox: Nightgarden

Posted 3:55am Wednesday 6th July 2011 by Hana Aoake

Temple Gallery Climbing a wiry staircase, through a seemingly enchanted garden, one walks into the Temple Gallery. A former synagogue, Temple Gallery has a feeling of spirituality. This sensation is furthered by Michaela Cox’s romantic and mythical works in her current exhibition, Read more...

Beastwars w/ Operation Rolling Thunder and Kahu

Posted 1:34am Friday 1st July 2011 by Sam Valentine

Chicks Hotel Saturday May 21 With wild, possessed eyes and a gruff white beard, Beastwars frontman Matt Hyde is the living embodiment of his music. Possessing a guttural roar, akin to that of a demonic warlock, his dominating presence is impossible to ignore. Controlling the attention of the Read more...

Brink

Posted 1:33am Friday 1st July 2011 by Toby Hills

Platforms: PC, Xbox 360, Playstation 3, (3.5/5). I can't stress enough how much better Brink would have been had it had no cutscene-heavy story, or if it had even scrapped the single player entirely. The plot is fundamentally solid; an isolated idealised city called “The Ark” Read more...

Aloo Gobi

Posted 1:31am Friday 1st July 2011 by Niki Lomax

Curry has always been our flat “go-to” meal when we are lazy and the fridge is looking sad. It’s ideal winter comfort food. Aloo Gobi (“aloo” meaning potato and “gobi” meaning cauliflower) is particularly ideal for winter as the more ritzy vegetables become rapidly less appealing both in appearance Read more...

Cafe Review - The Fix

Posted 1:29am Friday 1st July 2011 by Pippa Schaffler

Ground floor of The Innovation Centre (opposite St Dave’s) – i.e. that glass building you check yourself out in as you walk past, (5/5). Prices: Flat White: $4, Long Black: $3.50, Mocha: $4 Why I came here: I’ve been before; the coffee is perfect and right on campus. Atmosphere: Read more...

From Time to Time

Posted 1:24am Friday 1st July 2011 by Hana Aoake

Director: Julian Fellowes, (2/5). Previously responsible for such thrilling titles as The Young Victoria, Gosford Park and Downton Abbey, writer and director Julien Fellowes delivers his second feature film, From Time to Time. Based upon the novel The Chimneys of Green Knowe by Lucy M. Boston, Read more...

Your Highness

Posted 1:23am Friday 1st July 2011 by Hana Aoake

Director: David Gordon Green, (3/5). Despite the terrible reviews this film received, I convinced myself to go and see Your Highness for the mere purpose of seeing Natalie Portman’s ass. I was mildly amused by aspects of this film, although in saying this I am a person who is easily Read more...

Tracker

Posted 1:21am Friday 1st July 2011 by Theo Kay

Director: Ian Sharp, (3.5/5) As I sat through a barrage of historical drama trailers, I began to wonder whether Tracker would rise to deliver a captivating and original piece of film fit for Aotearoa’s growing list of classics. Or would it fall into a formulaic category like so many Read more...

Piranha II: The Spawning (1981)

Posted 1:20am Friday 1st July 2011 by Ben Blakely

Director: James Cameron. Starring: Tricia O’Neil, Steve Marachuk, Lance Henriksen, Ricky Paull Goldin.  If you’re concerned that you haven’t seen the first installment of the Piranha series, do not worry. You are not in any danger of missing any vital pieces of Read more...

Designers to Watch

Posted 1:03am Friday 1st July 2011 by Mahoney Turnbull

Tis the season to be scarfie Aren’t these cosy numbers just so alluring? Bleemweaver is a bright, happy and imaginatively-woven textile range by Brianna Lee Martin. Combining her skills in weaving and design, this talented artist creates unique textiles entirely handmade in the Read more...

Machine of Death: a collection of stories about people who know how they will die

Posted 12:46am Friday 1st July 2011 by Sarah Maessen

Author: Various; Eds. Ryan North, Matthew Bennardo, & David Malki “This book, unlike most others, started its life as an off hand comment made by a bright green Tyrannosaurus Rex”   The book is based on a comic from Ryan North’s Dinosaur Comics in which T-Rex Read more...