Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra's Splendour series has taken a slightly different approach from previous years.

Patua means "to hit, kill, subdue, ill-treat", and writer-director Renae Maihi bravely takes on the subject of child abuse in the 75 nicely paced minutes of this, her second play.

Spring Breakers sees a couple of ex-Disney Channel actresses, clad in bikinis and obviously keen to shed their wholesome reputations, head to Florida to party for the spring break holiday.

Dwayne Johnson is obviously keen to put his wrestling moniker "The Rock" behind him in his first serious dramatic role in this crime thriller.

That most picked-upon local television show of recent times, Seven Sharp, seems a little sharper these days, writes Colin Hogg.

Auckland Chamber Orchestra has taken a courageous stand this year in its search for the unexpected.

After proving himself the modern master of the blockbuster with 2009's Star Trek reboot, J.J. Abrams returns to helm the eagerly awaited sequel, which stands in the shadow of the best-regarded Trek film of them all, 1982's Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan.

This British dramedy squanders its fine actors. Vanessa Redgrave plays Marion, an outgoing cancer patient determined to stay in the local choir.

TV's latest comic book hero unexpectedly pierces Nick Grant's cynical shell.

The biggest game in town is Michael Parekowhai et al at Michael Lett. It combines the talents of an artist and a collective.

After two Big Day Out performances - the first great, the second lacklustre - Tool finally deliver a show that's fitting of their art metal majesty, Scott Kara writes.

There was no need to be put off by high-flown talk of "rhetorical affect" on NZ Barok's website

Populate your film with a star-studded cast and you may tweak people's interest. Base it on an over-baked script and under-direct your actors and you're likely to lose that interest faster than you can say "Weather Underground".