Rating: 4/5. Verdict: Another killer from the Killah

Rating: 3/5. Verdict: Howard and Vaughn struggle to find the right mix of comedy and drama

Rating: 2/5. Verdict: The ageing Doobies have Willie Nelson as a guest. 'Nuff said?

I picked up this book based on the cover recommendation by travelling gastronome Anthony Bourdain...

A frighteningly plausible story breathes life back into the psychological thriller genre.

Director Ron Howard, Hollywood's principal purveyor of bland, inoffensive mainstream twaddle (The Da Vinci Code, Cinderella Man) brings his affection for beige storytelling to this strained dramedy.

Bosses suit up for blue-collar jobs Undercover Boss returns to champion underdog employees and humble chief executives. By Deborah Hill Cone.

Rating: 3.5/5. Verdict: Affecting tale of African model's odyssey.

Rating: 3/5

Rating: 4/5

Rating: 3.5/5

And you thought Matt Berninger, the oddly charismatic mate of President Obama and singer in the National, was an introverted type.

Rating: 3/5. Verdict: Smoking, drinking, singing, sex - sometimes all at once.

Rating: 2.5/5. Verdict: Life is a cabaret, but this sure isn't

Rating: 3.5/5. Verdict: Gorillaz' swansong that doubles as a Damon Albarn solo album

Rating: 4.5/5. Verdict: Top of the pops

Rating: 2.5/5. Verdict: He might be smarter than your average ursine. His film isn't

Rating: 3/5. Verdict: The Louisiana spirit evoked by those who know the territory

The Gaia hypothesis - a theory of planet-as-a-whole-organism propounded by James Lovelock in the 1970s - was the underlying theme of the Gaia Galactic New Year's Eve party, Prana.

Books editor Linda Herrick checks out what's cooking in the international market.

Scott Kara on Public Enemy's Auckland show.

Get blown away with mafia hit Period crime drama Boardwalk Empire lives up to all the hype, writes Deborah Hill Cone.

Plan B's soulful, uplifting and edgy sophomore album was one of the biggest-sellers of 2010 in the UK, but here it barely registered on the Richter.

Work-life balance is just a story idea to Becky (Rachel McAdams) when she takes the reigns of a barely watched TV breakfast show that repeatedly chews and spits out producers, especially ones as green and peppy as Becky.

A year ago, fans had all but given up on Kiwi rockers Steriogram - not surprising given the band's members had embarked on solo projects, like Bradley Carter's Pistol Youth.

Joanna Lumley adds another string to her bow with this two-part series that examines people's relationships with cats.

A sunlit Gallic Brief Encounter, this French film of love confounded remains mostly on the right side of the line between exquisite and excruciating, thanks largely to the pitch-perfect performances of its two leading actors.

As an idea, an unmanned speeding freight train carrying highly explosive toxins and destined to derail in a densely populated city might sound like one contrived for the big screen.

While this doesn't disguise that the story still follows a generic romantic drama/comedy route, it does mean you don't feel bad about falling for it.