Culture
-
Film Review: life imitates art in ‘Gemma Bovery’
Read more: Film Review: life imitates art in ‘Gemma Bovery’Based on the graphic novel by Posy Simmonds, “Gemma Bovery” follows Charlie Bovery and his wife, the titular Gemma, as they move from London to a small village near Rouen, in the north of France. There, they meet Martin (the baker), Valérie (the baker’s wife), Wizzy and Rankin (the insufferable bores), and Hervé (the young,…
-
NZ Comedy Fest Review: Get It Girl
Read more: NZ Comedy Fest Review: Get It GirlWe review NZ Comedy Fest show Get It Girl It’s much harder to be insightful and funny than people realise. It’s not simply sufficient to have a different perspective on life, or to be able to turn a witty phrase – and it’s certainly not sufficient to be able to act the goat on stage. Comedy…
-
Comedy Fest NZ 2015 Review: Matt Stellingwerf
Read more: Comedy Fest NZ 2015 Review: Matt Stellingwerf“Matt Stellingwerf” Tuesday 12 May @ 8.45pm @ The Classic Comedy and Bar I had never heard of Matt Stellingwerf – I read up on him before the show, and other reviewers have all described using variations on “laid back and relaxed,” and he certainly was. He has a very casual approach to performing –…
-
Comedy for charity with THE GOOD GUYS
Read more: Comedy for charity with THE GOOD GUYSTHE GOOD GUYS The Good Guys Sunday 10 May @ 7pm @ The Tuning Fork Call me old-fashioned, but when I go to a show I like to be comfortable and enjoy myself. I want to be able to drive, park, stroll to the venue, sit down, and lose myself in the experience of the…
-
A Comedy Festival favourite, the Big Show 2015
Read more: A Comedy Festival favourite, the Big Show 2015THE BIG SHOW A Comedy Festival favourite, the Big Show in 2015 features four comedians from the UK – the Andrew Watts, Nish Kumar, Joel Dommett, and Lloyd Langford. Held in the Concert Chamber at the Town Hall (which they’ve renamed “the Comedy Chamber” for the next few weeks – I see what you did…
-
Film review: The Ground We Won
Read more: Film review: The Ground We WonThe Ground We Won (2015, NZ) 3½ stars There’s many different New Zealands in New Zealand. There’s those two perennial favourites of the politicians – “Mum and Dad New Zealand” and “Middle New Zealand.” There’s the New Zealand that enjoys brunch of a Saturday morning, who buys craft beers, who watches the occasional rugby match,…
-
NZ Comedy Fest 2015: THE GREEN EFFECT with Brendon Green
Read more: NZ Comedy Fest 2015: THE GREEN EFFECT with Brendon GreenHosted by New Zealand comedian Brendon Green, this show is a variation upon the ubiquitous panel show. Green is the host, and his dream is to have some sort of phenomenon named after himself – just as we have the Heimlich manoeuvre, or Boyle’s law, or Alzheimer’s syndrome, so too he wants us to have…
-
NZ Comedy Fest 2015 Review: Neel Kolhatkar
Read more: NZ Comedy Fest 2015 Review: Neel KolhatkarNeel Kolhatkar is a young and new Australian comedian. Stand-up comedy is a difficult gig to break into – you’ve got to be fresh, and interesting, and possibly a bit edgy, and most of all you’ve got to be funny. It also helps if your jokes are unique. Neel Kolhatkar has got a lot of…
-
Winter wellness – lemon ginger tea and manuka honey
Read more: Winter wellness – lemon ginger tea and manuka honeyA winter wellness pack arrived from Red Seal- so yum. I love hot lemon and ginger tea, especially with a spoonful of manuka honey for natural sweetness and UMF5+ heath benefits. Winter seems to be here today – luckily my newly blowdried hair and I just got in before the rain started pelting down –…
-
‘Testament of Youth’ A powerful memoir of British pacifist Vera Brittain
Read more: ‘Testament of Youth’ A powerful memoir of British pacifist Vera BrittainTestament of Youth (2014, UK) 4 stars When I was much younger, I read “Testament of Youth,” the memoir of British pacifist Vera Brittain. I was one of those children – the kind who is always called upon in class and called names in the playground. I thought the book was fascinating and deeply emotional,…