A deep and tumbling kind of laughter - John Ward Knox

Posted 12:52pm Sunday 1st May 2016 by Monique Hodgkinson

It would be easy to mistake the current exhibition at the Hocken Gallery for an empty space, so diminutive is the scale of John Ward Knox’s paintings. Yet what a deep and tumbling kind of laughter lacks in size, it makes up for in the intimacy, skill, and sheer beauty of the Read more...

A Warrior’s Tail

Posted 12:24pm Sunday 1st May 2016 by Lisa Blakie

Rating: D A Warrior’s Tail is a low budget Russian animated film which I’m hoping was poorly translated because I have no idea what the narrative was actually trying to convey. Every character was obnoxious and annoying and lame and had their own bizarre storylines going on. So Read more...

John Dies at the End

Posted 12:55pm Sunday 1st May 2016 by Lucy Hunter

I quite like insects. I don’t mind them on me unless I can feel the weight of them. If one is stuck somewhere I will administer a gentle transport of cardboard over glass jar and dispatch the creature outside. However, while reading John Dies at the End, I developed a fear of bugs. If you are Read more...

Orphans & Kingdoms

Posted 12:28pm Sunday 1st May 2016 by Alex Campbell-Hunt

Rating: A It’s an interesting coincidence that both of the new Kiwi movies currently showing cover similar subject matter - both involve juvenile delinquents getting into a dangerous predicament alongside a reclusive adult, with everyone eventually bonding and becoming better Read more...

Eye in the Sky

Posted 12:31pm Sunday 1st May 2016 by Nita Sullivan

Rating: A- Before seeing Eye in the Sky, a fairly topical military thriller that centres on the arguments around and ramifications of using drones in modern warfare, I had pretty high expectations and I wasn’t disappointed.  Dame Helen Mirren leads a pretty star-packed cast (Alan Read more...

Teenage Fans

Posted 12:34pm Sunday 1st May 2016 by Millicent Lovelock

Yesterday I sat thinking about my thesis as I listened to Sandy Hsu’s “Teenage Girls” on repeat. It’s a tender song, but rough around the edges, recorded in a bathroom with some lo-fi piece of recording equipment that manages to capture Hsu’s crystal voice but muffle Read more...

That Dragon, Cancer

Posted 12:36pm Sunday 1st May 2016 by Campbell Calverley

Rating: A When you hear that a game has tackled the heavy topic of a child battling with cancer, it’s understandable you’d be skeptical. It’s likely to be emotionally manipulative, or merely uncomfortable rather than honest, or just corny. That Dragon, Cancer is none of these Read more...

Lightsabers

Posted 12:40pm Sunday 1st May 2016 by Anthony Marris

Described by the revered Jedi Master Obi Wan Kenobi as an elegant weapon for a more civilised age, the lightsaber is a blade of energy which can deflect blaster bolts, cut through steel and sever the odd limb or two. Fandom website Dorkly ranked the lightsaber as the coolest fictional weapon in a Read more...

Sherpa

Posted 12:41pm Sunday 24th April 2016 by Lisa Blakie

Rating: A If anyone you know doesn’t know what white privilege is, or is too ignorant to even try to understand, all they need to do is watch Sherpa and everything around the concept will become abundantly clear. If not, you need to disassociate yourself from them ASAP. Sherpa is a Read more...

Chicken Kiev

Posted 1:18pm Sunday 24th April 2016 by Kirsten Garcia

The origins of this dish are unknown but it seems to have been made popular by the Soviets. It’s like garlic bread but instead of bread, we’re using chicken. I was considering calling this recipe a butter bomb since that’s what you’ll essentially get. I do love butter. I am a Read more...