Archive

Pulp: A film about life, death & supermarkets

Posted 9:16pm Sunday 10th August 2014 by Ashley Anderson

This documentary-style film is an en- dearing tribute to the ‘80–‘90s Sheffield- based band, Pulp. While probably not a well-known rock group in New Zealand, they have had many hits, including “Common People” (1995). Unlike many band-based movies, the members (now in their 50s) seem like genuinely Read more...

Robocop (1987)

Posted 9:16pm Sunday 10th August 2014 by Ben Tomsett

Classic Film I can imagine watching the blood-soaked ridiculousness that is Robocop would be an incredibly rewarding experience while high. Peter Weller plays Alex Murphy, a police officer that is brutally and graphically blown to pieces by criminals, his life saved when he is rebuilt Read more...

Begin Again

Posted 9:16pm Sunday 10th August 2014 by Sydney Lehman

Rating: B- Begin Again, a modern music film in which the music felt terribly dated, and scored by The New Radicals, who haven’t released an album since 1999. I don’t understand this bizarre choice in musicians for the score of a film about the current music industry. The whole thing felt Read more...

Pacific Rim

Posted 9:16pm Sunday 10th August 2014 by CJ O'Connor

Cult Film For various reasons, in this day and age there is often a certain scorn for so-called “blockbusters,” like it is incredibly passé to find enjoyment in anything mainstream. It probably doesn’t help that, in the days of mass film production, unique plot lines are often few and Read more...

Hercules

Posted 9:16pm Sunday 10th August 2014 by Baz Macdonald

Rating: B When you’ve heard a story told the same way 100 times, you never expect the 101st retelling to be different. Which is why Brett Ratner’s Hercules was a pleasant surprise, if not your usual action blockbuster fare. Hercules is one of humankind’s oldest legends, and Ratner’s Read more...

John Ward Knox & Sophie Bannan

Posted 9:16pm Sunday 10th August 2014 by Hannah Collier

Blue Oyster Art Space Exhibited until 23 August 2014 The Optimists is a new work by Christchurch-based artist Sophie Bannan and Auckland-based artist John Ward Knox, and is currently being exhibited at The Blue Oyster Art Project Space. While each artist presents a series of work unique to Read more...

Pork and Coriander Dumplings

Posted 9:16pm Sunday 10th August 2014 by Sophie Edmonds

Hi, my name is Sophie and i am a dumpling fiend. Steamed dumplings, fried dumplings – all the dumplings! I spend a lot of time sourcing out the best dumpling stalls and night markets and frequently venture into D-graded food establishments to find premium offerings. I had tried making Read more...

Drowning City

Posted 9:43pm Sunday 3rd August 2014 by Bridget Vosburgh

Other reviews i’ve read of Ben Atkins’ first novel Drowning City tended to sound something like: “ZOMG this teenager wrote a book when he was like 17 and then it was published when he was 19 ZOMG and it sounds just like a real person wrote it, this is incredible!” The problem with this is that his Read more...

Shamir - Northtown EP

Posted 9:43pm Sunday 3rd August 2014 by Adrian Ng

Rating: A- Shamir Bailey is a nineteen-year-old musician from Las Vegas, USA. The Northtown EP is his debut release, and it is definitely a promising one. The first thing that becomes immediately apparent is Bailey’s voice. It is silky smooth, and seems to sit at quite a unique Read more...

Radiator Hospital - Torch Song

Posted 9:43pm Sunday 3rd August 2014 by Adrian Ng

Rating: A- Radiator hospital is a self-described DIY band based in Philadelphia and centres around the twitchy, heartfelt, pop-punk songwriting of frontman Sam Cook-Parrott. Clocking in at just over 30 minutes, this spry collection of 15 songs is upbeat. Well, you know, as upbeat as Read more...

NZ Download of the Week: Dinosaur Sanctuary

Posted 9:43pm Sunday 3rd August 2014 by Adrian Ng

Dinosaur Sanctuary is a Dunedin four- piece made up of Kane Strang, Joshua Hunter, Rassani Tolovaa and Isaac Hickey. Together they make sort of sonic, stoner rock. A kind of Black Sabbath fused with Queens of the Stone Age, plus a dash of Arctic Monkeys. You can download their album from Read more...

New this week / Singles in review

Posted 9:43pm Sunday 3rd August 2014 by Adrian Ng

Weezer - Back to the Shack Not many bands face such loathing from their own fan base. Since their apparent fall from glory around the new millennium, the group have remained prolific. However, every album seems to breed a sense of, “oh no, you’re just making it worse, guys.” Read more...

Divinity: Original Sin

Posted 9:43pm Sunday 3rd August 2014 by Baz Macdonald

Rating: B- There are so many gaming arguments that I am sick to death of hearing about, but more than any other, I am tired of people whining about games not being hard enough anymore. Not because I think it is a completely baseless complaint, but because people don’t understand the Read more...

At Berkeley

Posted 9:43pm Sunday 3rd August 2014 by Rosie Howells

At Berkeley is an in-depth, atmospheric documentary study of what life is like at the University of California, one of the most prestigious universities in the world today. Any movie that examines a famous academic institution with amazing facilities, scarily intelligent students, and incredible Read more...

Cap Bocage

Posted 9:43pm Sunday 3rd August 2014 by Baz Macdonald

New Caledonia is one of the world’s richest sources of the metal nickel, making it a target for mining companies. In the early ‘70s the Ballande mining group procured much of the New Caledonian indigenous land to begin mining the precious metal. In 2008, mismanagement of mining sites and heavy rain Read more...

Jacob's Ladder

Posted 9:43pm Sunday 3rd August 2014 by Alex Campbell-Hunt

Cult Film To call Jacob’s Ladder a horror movie would be selling it short. It doesn’t only rely on frightening images, it also gets inside your head. Tim Robbins plays Jacob Singer, a soldier who returns from Vietnam and begins to experience terrifying demonic visions. His girlfriend Read more...

A Promise

Posted 9:43pm Sunday 3rd August 2014 by Andrew Kwiatkowski

Rating: B+ Have you ever had one of those love affairs that was spine-tinglingly perfect in every way – except, perhaps, for that tiny, insignificant detail, that one of you is not technically “available?” Maybe the other person was married to your boss? Then has Patrice Leconte got a film Read more...

Sex Tape

Posted 9:43pm Sunday 3rd August 2014 by Ben Tomsett

Rating: C+ I have never come so close to walking out of a movie as I did in Sex Tape. A likable cast and an interesting premise were enticing enough to attend, but after sitting through an hour of the blandest humour imaginable, I just about lost it. Jason Segel and Cameron Diaz play Read more...

Quai D'Orsay (The French Minister)

Posted 9:43pm Sunday 3rd August 2014 by Baz Macdonald

Rating: A- The French Minster joins other works such as the US TV show Veep that have clearly taken their inspiration from the popular UKTV series The Thick of It. These shows and films all portray important government figures through a satirical lens, which simultaneously undermines many Read more...

Michael Parekowhai

Posted 9:43pm Sunday 3rd August 2014 by Hannah Collier

Dunedin Public Art Gallery Exhibited until 9 November 2014 Michael Parekowhai (born Porirua, 1968) is one of New Zealand’s most important contemporary artists. Parekowhai acquired his BFA (1990) and his MFA (2000) from Elam School of Fine Arts, University of Auckland. In 2001 Read more...