Archive

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...

New York style soft pretzels

Posted 9:43pm Sunday 3rd August 2014 by Sophie Edmonds

The other Saturday i woke up. Well, i say “woke up” – in reality I was barely conscious and still a bit drunk from the night before. I felt like death. After a few more hours of remaining in the horizontal position, I dragged my tragic ass out of bed, put in my contacts and on some pants and Read more...

Profile: New Zealand Child Poverty 101

Posted 10:15pm Sunday 27th July 2014 by Stacey Kennedy of Choose Kids

“Child poverty;” “vulnerability;” “income gap.” Buzz words, right? Phrases thrown around by the radical lefties? There are 285,000 children living in poverty in New Zealand, yet so many of us New Zealanders seem content to ignore the problem, or worse, to deny it altogether. Unfortunately “us Read more...

Strange Harvest

Posted 10:15pm Sunday 27th July 2014 by Adrian Ng

Dunedin cold-wave duo Strange Harvest have been busy finishing their third full-length album. A few weeks removed from the studio Justin Walshaw catches up with Critic’s Adrian Ng. Did both of you come from musical backgrounds? Was there a particular moment that made you want to do music? Read more...

Download of the Week: The River Jones - The River Jones (NZ)

Posted 10:15pm Sunday 27th July 2014 by Adrian Ng

The River Jones are a four-piece from Christchurch. Noisy, post-punk, emo. Reminds me of a combination of Sonic Youth and Slint. Their live shows are spectacular. You can get their album at a name-your-price download from theriverjones.bandcamp.com. Read more...

A Sunny Day in Glasgow

Posted 10:15pm Sunday 27th July 2014 by Adrian Ng

Rating: A- A Sunny Day In Glasgow began as a recording project in 2006, between friends Ben Daniels and Ever Nalens. Since their inception the band has seen countless line-up changes, albeit always centered around the songwriting prowess of Ben Daniels. Sea When Absent is the group’s third Read more...

New this week / Singles in review

Posted 10:15pm Sunday 27th July 2014 by Adrian Ng

Perfume Genius - Queen Perfume Genius is the moniker for Seattle musician Mike Hadreas. “Queen” is the lead single from his third album, Too Bright, set to be released in September later this year. A beautiful, sprawling ballad, “Queen” is grandiose and at the same time dangerous. Read more...