Latest fromEntertainment Reviews

Theatre review: Clowning classic feels a little tired
I first saw this clowning classic several years ago, and remembered it fondly enough to want to take the resident 8-year-old this time around.

Epic: Avatar on a planet not so far away
The latest animated 3D offering from Blue Sky Studios, Epic, is about a magical world in which tiny inhabitants of the forest are threatened by an evil force.

TV picks of the week: Maids debunk stereotype
Five TV shows that will keep couch potatoes glued to their seats over the coming week.

Movie review: The Heat's chemistry is good
It takes Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock some time to warm to each other in this buddy-cop comedy but when they do, they give a hint of the comedy that made director Paul Feig's previous film, Bridesmaids, so hilarious.

Movie review: Pacific Rim a superior creature feature
Comparing Pacific Rim to Transformers because it also features giant metal things thumping about the planet is like comparing director Guillermo del Toro's Hellboy films to your standard superhero movie.

Game review: Deadpool earns his R18 tag
Cult comic book figure's first video game foray earns his R18 tag.

Album review: Tom Odell, Long Way Down
In Britain, this critically favoured, chart-topping 22-year-old pianist/singer has made no secret of his admiration for Elton John.

Album review: Zomby, With Love
The reclusive British beat renegade is back. With Love is, like his 2010 sophomore album Dedication, dub step but not as you know it.

Pianists show who truly has talent
The grand final of the newly inaugurated Wallace National Piano Competition on Sunday offered three hours of memorable music-making.

Macdonald's pairing proves happy mix indeed
Over time, Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra has shown a real nous for matching conductor and concert.

TV Preview: House Rules
Ben Crawford predicts doozy arguments and high stress in a new home reno show.

Album review: The Map Room, All You'll Ever Find
The Auckland duo of recording engineers/producers and sound mixers, Simon Gooding and Brendon Morrow (York St, television and film work, etc), craft the most unfashionable music.

Movie review: Before Midnight
There are few actors who keep your attention by just walking and talking their way through a film, but it comes easily to Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy - they have had plenty of practice, though.

Movie review: The Lone Ranger (+video)
If the quirky, zany, bumbling charms of Johnny Depp's performances in most everything else he's been in for the past decade are wearing a bit thin, then here's some relief.

Album review: Transplants, In a Warzone
The Transplants have always been a confused bunch of rockers, mixing up rap, dub, ska, punk and funk across their first two records.

Album review: Mac Miller, Watching Movies with the Sound Off
At the ripe old age of 21, Pittsburgh rapper Mac Miller has lived a life full of hip-hop cliches.

TV picks: It's in the blood
Six TV shows that will keep couch potatoes glued to their seats over the coming week.

Jak and Daxter finally hit the Vita
It's been a whopping 12 years since Jak and Daxter first debuted on the PlayStation 2 - a somewhat revolutionary game that paved the way for platform adventures starring oddball duos.

Animal Crossing aimless, addictive
With more than four million copies sold in Japan and Korea since November, New Leaf has been a massively popular addition to the Animal Crossing series.

Album review: Dear Mark J Mulcahy, I Love You
Neither Mulcahy's previous band, the US indie rock outfit Miracle Legion, nor his solo albums created a ripple here, but this new direction might just get traction.

Classical review: Women without too much wonder
If Rita Paczian wanted to prove that female composers are on a par with their male counterparts, she needed stronger ammunition.