Staff writer for New Zealand pop culture-obsessed website The Spinoff and columnist for the NZ Herald.
We are your advocate, Aotearoa. Uncovering stories that matter, asking hard-hitting questions of those in power, live-blogging sport events, monitoring the highs and lows of the NZX and providing Premium expert opinion and analysis. Bringing you distinctive, quality journalism and breaking news from across New Zealand and around the world. With specialists working together to create indepth reads, engaging video, and unmissable podcasts.
Netflix's new Queer Eye essential viewing
It used to be shallow makeover show but new Queer Eye something more powerful.
This is the Kiwi comedy you need to see
Subject: Dad is a "pure delight" that would make Hollywood's finest jealous.
The biggest problem with Seven Sharp
The hosts may have changed but the deathly dull stories remain.
TVNZ's new drama makes for 'stressful' viewing
TVNZ's new series Liar makes for deeply uncomfortable viewing, writes Alex Casey.
Why Hayley Holt can't save Breakfast
Hayley Holt's 'weird' start on Breakfast morphed into same-old, same-old. What gives?
Did TVNZ's biopic Jean deserve to win big?
It's the most expensive NZ drama ever made. So was Jean worth it?
Fashion Police: Good riddance to couture cop-out
Alex Casey: In 7 years the fashion climate has changed, along with tolerances of sexism.
Will this fill the MAFS-shaped hole in your life?
Is Seven Year Switch a worthy successor to MAFS? Alex Casey investigates.
Mums secretly paid to plug Kmart on 1News
TVNZ pulls story about Kmart after "influencers" revealed to have been paid.
Trans-Tasman comedy a hilarious winner
Every now and again, a hilariously funny TV show sneaks up you.
Brokenwood: For fans of the 'dark and twisted'
The Brokenwood Mysteries is giving Shorty St a run for its money in the death stakes.
Why MAFS is more real than most Kiwi drama
MAFS serves up local characters that prime-time dramas never seem to get right.
Campion delivers year's best crime drama
Season two of Top of the Lake goes even deeper than the first.
Is this the most sexist man on NZ television?
COMMENT: Richardson's "oafish, larrikin chat" is setting clock back, writes Alex Casey.
Women get animated about seedy side of life
Series is powerful platform for confronting everyday sexism
Glow is the wrestling show you need in your life
A TV show about wrestling? Stop, wait, no, come back, writes Alex Casey.
How much Mark Richardson is too much?
How much Mark Richardson is too much Mark Richardson? Alex Casey finds out.
Bachelor 'the best screw-over I've had'
Please, this can't be the last we see of Lily McManus on our TV screens
Why Netflix's Girlboss isn't a power player
It aims to be the Lean In for the Instagram age but Girlboss isn't a power player.
Raw: a coming of age story with a difference
This fiercely feminist story of a woman's journey to adulthood not for the weak of stomach
Love Girls and Miranda? Watch this show
Chewing Gum is a glorious Frankenstein of some of the best comedies in recent years.
Movie review: The Fate of the Furious
The gang is back, furiously saving the world again from a supervillain.
Movie review: The Lego Batman Movie
The Lego Batman Movie is perfect for kids and adult nerds alike.
Movie review: Ghost in the Shell
Robotic ghost lacks soul in futuristic superhero-style body replacement experiment.
Movie review: Gary of the Pacific
There's no shred of doubt that both The Project star Josh Thomson and powerhouse production team thedownlowconcept are a winning combo
Movie review: Logan
My favourite kind of superhero film is one that doesn't feel like a superhero film at all, which is exactly why Logan shredded my
Movie review: Rings
The killer VHS horror franchise, originating in Japan with Ringu in 1998, returns this year with the follow-up nobody asked for in Rings.
Movie review: T2 Trainspotting
With the release of the Trainspotting sequel T2 Trainspotting this week, the feverish pursuit of nostalgia can now finally be compared
Movie Review: Fences
Nothing screams Oscar season like Denzel Washington and Viola Davis together on the big screen, going head to head in what feels like
Movie review: Split
In a twist as sharp as the ending to each of his cinematic creations, M. Night Shyamalan (Signs, The Sixth Sense) returns to form
Movie Review: Manchester by the Sea
Much like the faulty boat engine that splutters its way through the film, Manchester by the Sea is a thoughtful study on what happens
Movie review: Moonlight
Let me begin by simply saying this: Moonlight is an essential film and you'd be an idiot to overlook it. Recently nabbing the Golden
Movie review: Passengers - 'do not be fooled by this movie'
Even star power fails to keep this gross sexist flop together.
Movie review: Office Christmas Party
Office Christmas parties, much like New Year's Eve, International Talk Like a Pirate Day, and any other kind of scheduled fun, often
Movie review: The Founder
I'll admit that The Founder, the story of the birth of McDonald's, is a little harder to swallow than a cheeseburger and fries. The
Reviewed: Tom Ford's Nocturnal Animals
Keeping up with film releases can sometimes feel like the entertainment selection on a long-haul flight. Every movie starts to blur
Movie review: The Light Between Oceans
The Light Between Oceans, directed by Ryan Gosling fanboy Derek Cianfrance (Place Beyond the Pines, Blue Valentine) is the latest
Movie review: I, Daniel Blake
Welcome to New Zealand, Daniel Blake, you couldn't have come at a better time.
Movie review: Under the Shadow
It's getting harder and harder to do new things with horror.
Movie review: Sully
I don't how to break this news to you, but I think Tom Hanks might be cursed when it comes to air travel. We've seen him survive a
Movie review: Bad Moms
Bad Moms follows a group of frazzled moms in suburban Chicago who decide to throw away "having it all" in exchange for having fun and making time for themselves.
Movie review: Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie
Plopping the beloved characters from the riotous 90s British sitcom in 2016, drizzling them in Champagne and celebrity cameos, and seeing what comes out the other side.
What you should see at the NZ film festival
Auckland is currently in the throes of the New Zealand International Film Festival, and the symptoms are starting to show. You can
Is Ghostbusters worth the watch?
This year Ghostbusters had to prove that they weren't just afraid of no ghosts - but no trolls either. News of the all-female reboot
Movie review: The BFG
Nothing says "a lovely film for kids" like a giant, crotchety old man in a cloak who peeks through windows and steals young orphans
The show TVNZ doesn't want you to see
After a few episodes and a lot of new insights, Alex Casey realised we need more shows like Sex Box.
Movie review: The Legend of Tarzan
Please refrain from rolling your eyes at yet another reboot that nobody asked for, but I'm here to tell you that there is a new reboot
'I've seen things that cannot be unseen'
Alex Casey tunes into TV One's new show Beauty and the Beach - but quickly wishes she hadn't.
Movie review: Finding Dory
An ocean of opportunity awaits in the sequel to Finding Nemo.
Movie review: Now You See Me 2
In 2016, it's possible that there is nothing less relevant or sexy than a magician.
Movie review: The Nice Guys
The two lead performances are worth the ticket price alone in this rough and tough buddy movie.
There's nothing Happy about this Valley
Happy Valley is a lot like other crime dramas on the surface, but it takes viewers where few others dare.
Movie review: Tickled
Take a bonkers ride into a bizarre and astonishing world of fringe fetish.
Movie review: Where to Invade Next
In contrast to his usual doom-and-gloom, Michael Moore takes a more optimistic path.
Movie review: The Angry Birds Movie
Bird puns abound in the latest transfer from computer game to big screen.
Movie Review: Captain America: Civil War
The Avengers are back brighter than ever - squabbling, kicking ass and cracking jokes.
Movie review: Noma: My Perfect Storm
Doco about a famed restaurant is as much about social dynamics as flavour dynamics.
Movie review: Whiskey Tango Foxtrot
The industry line is that anything with actress and writer Tina Fey remotely near it turns to gold.
'Zootopia is a must-see wolf in sheep's clothing'
Latest Disney offering is important, intellectual and hilarious and should be seen by young and old.
Movie review: The Jungle Book
An all-star cast brings The Jungle Book reboot to life, but the new Mowgli is the standout.
Movie review: The Hunt for the Wilderpeople
'Wilderpeople' is a truly unique film that could only be made in New Zealand, and may be our best yet.
Movie review: London Has Fallen
Nothing can stop Butler from cracking jokes in the midst of global chaos.
Bachelor Power Rankings
This week, The Bachelor NZ contestants endured the world's most budget dates with the world's most boring results. So who is on top in this week's power rankings?
Alex Casey: Gods of Egypt
In the stark, filmic landscape that lies beyond the Oscars, there is nothing but badly CGI-ed tumbleweed.
Alex Casey: Hail, Caesar!
The latest offering from the inimitable Coen brothers is Hail, Caesar!, a goofy love letter to the golden age of Hollywood.
Alex Casey: Zoolander 2
It has taken me a while to process things in the aftermath of Zoolander 2.
How chin revealed Bachelor's identity
A hot tip off and a distinctive chin has revealed the identity of the next Bachelor, writes Alex Casey.
Alex Casey: Two comedies bring light relief to the cinema
We are getting into Oscar season now, which means things are getting serious as actors and directors try to secure a little solid golden man figurine.
Movie review: Suffragette
Carey Mulligan stars in a riveting true story about the struggle for women's emancipation.