From crime reality to crime fiction: The strange case of the Anne Perry film

Anne Perry: Interiors, currently streaming on TVNZ on Demand, looks into the famous New Zealander’s life after moving to Scotland. But how much can we learn when Perry herself seems incapable of true self-reflection? Anne Perry is a mystery writer based in Scotland. She’s written a lot of books, of which I have read exactly … Read more

Peter Jackson is out of control and must be stopped

The announcement that Peter Jackson’s latest project is a Beatles documentary is proof the decorated director has finally gone too far, writes Duncan Greive. It seems scarcely credible to suggest at this point, but Peter Jackson used to be cool. He made silly, weird movies about New Zealand – its monsters and its murderers – … Read more

New to Lightbox in February: We’re far from the shallows now

The biggest meme generator of 2018, the return of a beloved sitcom favourite and a new Lightbox Original are just some of the new titles coming to Lightbox this month. Sam Brooks and Alex Casey run down the highlights. A Star is Born (movie drops 6 Feb) I’ll tell you something, girl, A Star is … Read more

The Real Pod: We are absolutely amping for MAFS Australia

The Real Pod assembles to dissect the week in New Zealand pop culture and real life, with special thanks to Nando’s. The dream team is back together to cover all the breaking news topics you need to know this week. Which Aladdin star was spotted at Laneway? Which of our favourite celebrities made cameos in Jane … Read more

Disabled at Laneway: ‘As accessible as the venue allows’ isn’t enough any more

Music festivals are slowly making progress towards being accessible to disabled people – but is it happening fast enough? Alice Mander shares her experience at this year’s Laneway and offers some suggestions for improving accessibility. Sometimes I want to scream, “Disabled people like to party too!”. Or, maybe more accurately, “Disabled people want to join the … Read more

The Spinoff Music’s Songs of the Month: January

A popstar reclaims her hype, an indie-darling goes pop, and a trio of locals make good on their early promise. These are the songs of the month – five international, five local – as picked by The Spinoff’s culture editor Sam Brooks. International ‘Don’t Feel Like Crying’ by Sigrid For a while it seemed like … Read more

Praise Be: A definitive ranking of the best church bangers

God may have created all of his children in his image, but the same cannot be said for his hymns. Some church songs are good, some are bad, and some are absolute bangers. Madeleine Chapman ranks the best of them. Some say that in order to experience complete and utter silence, a hearing person must … Read more

Holy time-travelling culottes! The top 10 moments of Outlander season 4

Outlander is over for another year, but don’t let #droughtlander get you down. Tara Ward keeps the thirst at bay with a look back on some of season four’s best moments, including baby goats, spotty Lords and a saucy sponge bath.  Season four of Outlander has come and gone like an exploding hernia of emotion. We’ve … Read more

The ‘indie bro’ era is over: Sam Flynn Scott reviews Laneway Festival 2019

The Phoenix Foundation’s Samuel Flynn Scott checks out the food, music and wacky shirts of Laneway Festival 2019 in a review for Radio NZ. I’m pretty sure I used to be the target market for Laneway, but this year I barely know anyone on the lineup. As a joke, my good friend Lukasz sent our … Read more

Laneway in pictures: An illustrated review by Toby Morris

Illustrator and writer Toby Morris spends a day in Albert Park for Laneway 2019. Who is that big sweaty bearded guy with his notebook out watching a band? Wait, is he… drawing? Why? (All fair questions.)   First impression is always the styles. This year at least 1999 men dressed in prints.   Second impression, at … Read more

Outlander recap: Lightning crashes, a sad Jamie cries

It’s a truth universally acknowledged that the path to the Idiot Hut is paved with trouble. Will Roger escape? Will Brianna marry Lord John? Will Jamie Fraser ever cry more than single tear? Tara Ward recaps the dramatic season finale of Outlander. Friends, we’ve reached the end of the Outlander highway, and I’m as exhausted as if … Read more

Oscar Kightley’s Following Twain is a pleasantly sleepy meander around NZ

In Following Twain, which premiered on TVNZ One last night, Oscar Kightley follows the journey Mark Twain made around the country during his visit here in 1895. Sam Brooks reviews. The appeal of a travelogue show is one that has always eluded me. It’s the travel version of edging – all of the mildly pleasant bits … Read more

Why is Sensing Murder’s Sue Nicholson flaming mad at Seven Sharp?

A psyschic medium has launched a social media broadside against a comedian and NZ’s biggest 7pm show. Alex Casey retraces the gory details. It’s official: Sue Nicholson is mad as hell and not going to take it any more. Best known for her recurring role on TVNZ’s Sensing Murder, where she can frequently be found … Read more

Everything you need to know before heading to Laneway this weekend

It’s Auckland Anniversary Weekend, and you know that what means? St Jerome’s Laneway Festival, aka Laneway! Sam Brooks shares his guide to how to do your 2019 Laneway Festival right. So what the heck is Laneway? Laneway is a music festival that does the rounds across all of Australasia. It’s like the cooler, more alternative … Read more

From the club to the festival: Rudimental’s top five moments

Rudimental are one of the UK’s biggest bands with a list of collaborators as long as your arm. Sam Brooks takes a look at their best moments ahead of their new album, Toast to Our Differences. You’ve heard Rudimental, even if you don’t quite know it yet. This UK house band are a mainstay of many … Read more

Which returning 7pm news show made a stronger start to 2019?

The Project and Seven Sharp screened their first episodes of the year last night – so how did they fare upon their return? 7pm newcomer Sam Brooks watched them both. I’ve never watched a 7pm show that isn’t Shortland Street. It’s not a television hour for me; usually I’m playing video games, catching up on a non-news related … Read more

Then and now: Comparing the casts of Outrageous Fortune and Westside

Four seasons in, with a fifth along the way, it’s time to look back, and then look even further back. Sam Brooks looks at who’s who on Westside, and who originally played them on Outrageous Fortune. It’s rare to see a local television show that takes place outside of Ferndale create its own artistic canon, but that’s precisely … Read more

Outlander recap: Welcome to the Idiot Hut, population Roger

It’s the pentultimate episode of Outlander season four, and things couldn’t be worse. Or could they? Tara Ward finds out. Friends, we are well and truly up the shitter. I thought we’d peaked in the Outlander disaster zone with last week’s craptacular camping trip and Murtagh putting his boots on Marsali’s blankets, but this week life in the Colonies … Read more

Our breakfast shows are back and the banter is weirder than ever

Alex Casey woke up at 6am this morning to flick between the first episode for 2019 of both The AM Show and Breakfast. Here are some of the highlights. Nothing captures Monday morning ennui like The AM Show. “Welcome back my friends,” belts out prog rock band Emerson, Lake and Palmer, “to the show that never … Read more

If we don’t sing, then we won’t have anything: Bonnie “Prince” Billy’s I See a Darkness, 20 years on

Twenty years on, Bonnie “Prince” Billy’s I See a Darkness continues to beguile listeners. Jonny Potts tries to make sense of a timeless classic. It’s strange to consider I See a Darkness in terms of its age. Really, it’s strange to consider it being subject to time at all. It’s one of the very few records which … Read more

On creativity, composition and CS80s: Ryan McPhun talks to Julia Holter

Acclaimed experimental musician Julia Holter, whose latest album Aviary appeared on multiple year-end lists, is playing in Auckland next week. Her opening act, Ryan McPhun, interviews her ahead of her show. * Ryan McPhun: I saw you at Jazzhouse in Copenhagen in 2013 and I believe you were a 4 piece then. Will you have similar setup … Read more

The Real Pod: In which the unruly tourists are spicing up our lives

The Real Pod assembles to dissect the last few weeks in New Zealand pop culture and real life, with special thanks to Nando’s. With Duncan still basking somewhere on a desert island, Alex and Jane reconvene in The Spinoff studio to pick apart the past week in local weird news, pop culture and reality TV. We … Read more

An in-depth lyrical analysis Eminem’s theme song for the movie ‘Venom’

Last year, Marvel’s Venom came out and was a huge hit, and you can watch it on Lightbox right now. But the real killer? Eminem’s rap over the credits. Sam Brooks performs an in-depth lyrical analysis of ‘Venom’, the song. First off: I have to declare my love for Venom, the film. It’s a bonkers good time. In … Read more

Queering the air: The highs and lows of LGBTQ characters on TV

In only a few decades, the depiction of LGBTQ characters on television has gone from chaste ambiguity to frank explorations of queer identities of all kinds. But how far have we come, really, asks RNZ’s Melody Thomas. In 1991, a show called LA Law aired the first same-sex pash on primetime US television. The kiss between … Read more

Can The Passage hang around long enough to justify watching it?

The Passage comes with a best-selling novel pedigree – but will the show last long enough to make good on it? Sam Brooks reviews the new show which premiered on TVNZ last night. “I’m the girl from nowhere. The one no one will miss. I’m Amy Bellafonte. This is how the world ends.” Everything good and … Read more

The Big Bang Theory is a parade of lovable assholes – and I’m over it

It’s the most popular sitcom on television, and it’s full of supposedly lovable, always male, assholes. Catherine Hart explains why she’s not watching The Big Bang Theory or its ilk anymore. I’m sick of watching male ‘lovable’ assholes on our screens. They’re everywhere and I’m over it. These lovable assholes treat those around them with constant disrespect, … Read more