I'm All Right, Jack meets Nine to Five in this macaron-light French comedy, which springs from dated material - a wildly popular play written in the 80s and set in the 70s - but reshapes it with an ironic modern eye.

James K. Baxter wrote once (I paraphrase from lapsed memory and lost book) that most authors like to picture their words being read by grave scholars in studies and beautiful graduates in tutorials.

One of modern animation's most lovable characters, Po, and his team of butt-kicking kung fu masters are back in Kung Fu Panda 2. Francesca Rudkin gives her views on the sequel.

Rednecks are very chic. You might qualify as a redneck when you can spit without opening your mouth, your wife weighs more than your refrigerator or you've ever shot somebody over a mall parking space.

If a nuclear war wipes out civilisation, then all that will remain are the cockroaches and Lemmy, proclaims a Motorhead fan at the beginning of this film.

Accompanied by wailing violins, chilling minor chords and pained brass, most of the tracks on 'Last' sound like they could be the sound track to some thriller about a lonely child.

Much like fellow soul sisters Lauryn Hill and Erykah Badu, Jill Scott is not as prolific as you'd like someone with her talent to be.

The first movie was "good fun" while the second was "crass and stupid." What does Russell Baillie think of TFIII?

Tim Carlsen comes close as a homeless busker in One Day Moko... and he's got the voice for the role.

Listening to this Canadian band - who have the best band name in the history of music - is like having a really good hangover headache.

Following the stunningly spare 2008 debut, For Emma, Forever Ago, it's not as if he's come up with a tour de force folk record as a follow-up.

The 2010 winner of the Grand Prix, Cannes' no 2 award, this haunting and masterful French film was inspired by the slaughter, by Islamist terrorists, of seven French Trappist monks near their monastery in Algeria.

Politically incorrect and with a badass heroine and cynical tone, Bad Teacher takes its title inspiration and a lot more besides from the film Bad Santa, which starred Billy Bob Thornton.

The first outing for Rapace since her role of Lisbeth Salander in the Millennium trilogy is a family story in more ways than one.

There's a reason Beyonce Knowles is one of the richest women under the age of 30 (just). She knows how to shake it, she knows how to sell it, but most of all, she knows how to sing.

Significant Lilburn music finally makes it to CD, but the whole story is still to be told.

Unsensational, intimate and quietly passionate, March's meticulously observed examination of the crisis facing the small atoll of Takuu is an object lesson in patient documentary film-making.

Male-female duo the Cults seem to want to dispel some of the connotations of their badge "new indie-pop band from New York".

The latest album from the youngest son of the late Nigerian rebel and music maker Fela Kuti is co-produced by Brian Eno, and while Afrobeat is well past its heyday, this sounds fresh and resonant.

Jazz and metal are linked by the fact that when they are played at their best they are both adventurous, fiery forms of music.

On her debut album, gutsy but dainty Wellington singer-songwriter Janina explores her life lessons through her three loves - classical music, rock 'n' roll and clever writing.

Whoever thought there was promise in this story idea should have baled out at script stage and saved a million dollars or so.

The original Cars of 2006 was Pixar animation's least fulfilling film with a laboured story and a look that never let you forget you were watching a cartoon.

Jools and Lynda Topp's Pakuranga Bowling Club alter egos almost brought the Civic's roof down.

Their dalliances with Josh Homme as producer on third and previous album Humbug might have set out to prove the Arctic Monkeys didn't want to be limited to writing toe-tapping tunes about life down the chip shop.

It's surprising, given Jon Toogood has been making a rock 'n' roll racket for more than 20 years now, that he's never ventured out on his skinny little lonesome.