Latest from Entertainment Reviews

Review: Baron Cohen film does it again

The things you learn at the pictures. Had I not seen Sacha Baron Cohen's new film, I might have gone through life sublimely unaware of the word "bukkake", let alone the concept. That may have been no bad thing, of course.

Kendrick Lamar's offcuts show genius at work

Of course it's great. We're talking about Kendrick Lamar here, an artist who's not just the the Best Rapper Alive.

Review: The skin of your teeth

This is savage. One minute you're watching someone being ripped to death by a sabre-toothed tiger.

Concert review: Sufjan Stevens, The Civic

Sufjan Stevens described his mesmerising and moving Civic Theatre show last night better than anyone else could: "A celebration of termination."

Review: Duck, Death and the Tulip

The makers of this show have given themselves a challenge: they've attempted to adapt what is primarily adult literature for 4-8-year-olds.

Review: Mega-music honours war heroes

John Psathas' collaboration blends live players and international musicians against World War I battlefields.

Alex Casey: Hail, Caesar!

The latest offering from the inimitable Coen brothers is <i>Hail, Caesar!</i>, a goofy love letter to the golden age of Hollywood.

Madonna cries - then pashes Kiwi fan

Madonna left fans bewildered after her first Auckland show, during which she performed a sex act on a banana and broke down in tears for her son Rocco.

Sonic energy doesn't disappoint

I first saw Sleater-Kinney at the Kings Arms in 2002 as a teen punk, back when the stage was barely a stage. I loved them so much I flew to Melbourne to see them again.

Theatre review: Henry V

The local production of Henry V, with an all-female cast of 29, steers a path somewhere between the two extremes.

Visceral tale a rousing wake up for humanity

It's a dog-eat-dog world in this uncompromising reworking of John Gay's 1728 <i>The Beggar's Opera.</i>

Poetry and power join in Brahms concerto

Poetry and power merged as promised for Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra under the baton of young Spanish conductor Antonio Mendez.

Alex Casey: Zoolander 2

It has taken me a while to process things in the aftermath of <i>Zoolander 2</i>.

Album review: Fjarran, Dalecarlia Clarinet Quintet

After post-graduate studies in Sweden, McGregor has remained in that country, returning home in 2014 to tour with the four string players of her Dalecarlia Clarinet Quintet.

Concert review: Jeremih, Powerstation

On record, Jeremih's smooth, sexed-up take on R&B sits somewhere between R Kelly and Miguel, his voice mixing with electronic bass tricks that feel so current it hurts.

You're forbidden to watch Fuller House

There's a point where nostalgia becomes more like necrophilia, and Fuller House immediately crosses that line.