The world doesn't need another vampire flick, but when it's as entertaining as this remake of the 1985 comedy horror Fright Night, then why not?

The thought of a play about the Rwandan genocide may make you uneasy, but don’t let it put you off this excellent, sensitive, unusual production.

The blurb on the back of Breton Dukes’ debut short-story collection, Bird North And Other Stories, adds him to an esteemed line of New Zealand exponents of the genre: Frank Sargeson, Maurice Duggan and Owen Marshall.

Reading this very long book is deep immersion in the horrors of the Holocaust, and after a prolonged session readers may have to lift themselves from a state of depression about the human condition.

Now in its 31st year, New York’s annual CMJ festival is an opportunity for industry types and musicians from all over the globe to perform, peruse and participate in a week of musical frivolity.

The last Bats’ release on Flying Nun Records was 2000’s Thousands of Luminous Spheres compilation, and a lot has happened since then.

If I describe this memoir of life on the Kaipara as “charming”, it instantly sounds as if I’m sending it down the Damn-With-Faint-Praise chute. I’m not.

Less a film than an idea taking shape in front of the camera, the new offering from the director and stars of the dazzling Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story lacks the earlier movie's high concept.

The Fabulous/Arabia project, which finds James Milne, aka Lawrence Arabia, writing saucy, witty lyrics over the top of some fine, fruity music by Mike Fabulous aka Lord Echo (and also The Black Seeds), began as a musical penpal relationship.

If he's gone soft for his umpteenth album since 2000's solo debut Heartbreaker, it's perhaps not surprising.

Just as Wilco and Billy Bragg teamed up in the 90s and set to music unrecorded lyrics by Woody Guthrie (the Mermaid Avenue albums), so here, unrecorded songs by country legend Hank Williams (1923-53) are given life.

No matter what DJ Shadow does he will always have 1996 classic Endtroducing ... as his benchmark. It's one of those albums that you imagine will never be beaten. So, at least on his latest album, he topples his patchy previous effort, The Outsider.

A festival atmosphere pervaded the Aotea Centre as Sacre: The Auckland Dance Project showcased the achievements of 190 youngsters under the direction of British choreographer Royston Maldoom.

To state the bleeding obvious, we can be a nation of blunt-ended rugby fanatics. As 1987 All Blacks captain David Kirk quips in his foreword of Ian Grant's book Having A Ball, "it's part of the rhythm of life, and long may it remain so".

Dan Cleary is one clever guy - actor, writer, producer and someone who doesn't mind poking the borax.

When the sumptuous Great Gardens of Italy series recently screened here, you couldn't help but notice quite a few shots of its host, British garden guru Monty Don, staring pensively out at the scenery, chiselled chin on hand.

The most recent addition to the Late Night Tales stable is a typically pyschedelic, dreamy, and occasionally niggly collection of songs pulled together by New York electronic rockers MGMT.

You'd have to be in a pretty cynical mood not to smile at their light-as-air, finger-skipping arrangements, sunny strumming and casual vocal harmonies.

The concept is this: the band get an all-star cast of Sonic Youth fans to pick their favourite tracks, which includes everyone from actress Portia de Rossi to Beastie Boy Mike D and Radiohead.

The Smurfs themselves are as delightful and loopy as ever, so - despite undergoing a digital makeover - this Smurf adventure is still designed to appeal to younger and less discerning members of the family.

Four films set in London, one in Barcelona and he's just finished shooting in Rome: that Woody Allen sure gets around.

More percussive sorcery, soul jazz wizardry and seductive sounds from the south Pacific courtesy of human metranome Will Ricketts (aka Wild Bill) from the Phoenix Foundation, and many other bands.

Alexandre Dumas' classic story has been adapted many times, its film history stretching back to the silent era. The last time Hollywood took a decent stab at it was in 1993 with Charlie Sheen, Kiefer Sutherland and Oliver Platt attempting some rapier wit.

A traditional-style epic tale, this well-paced musical extravaganza is by turns cheesy, dramatic and genuinely moving.