Watch
Endangered Species Aotearoa
Streaming on TVNZ On Demand (so, free!), this is a more hands-on nature show than your classic David Attenborough documentary. It is hosted by conservationist Nicola Toki and comedian Pax Assadi who visit spots around the country in search of threatened native species. Pax doesn’t come into the show being a bird nerd, and makes the show incredibly relatable by asking stupid questions, getting freaked out by giant wētā, and refusing to climb any more steps halfway through a hike. Both Pax and Nicola inspire contemplative passion about our native species in a series that is awe-inspiring, informative, and hilarious. Well worth a watch.
Read
Maharaja’s menu
Next time you’re at a Maharaja’s BYO, or ordering online, take some time to read the whole menu. Mixed Paneer Tikka Platter – “Better than tofu lol”. Chicken Kadai – “Order medium spice & thank me later”. Lamb Methi – “No it doesn’t contain any illegal substance”. Need I say more?
Listen To
JC’s Tryna Be Alive
A cult classic Spotify playlist that has floated around for at least four years, but more people deserve to hear John Campbell’s extensively curated playlist for trying to stay cool and hip. Our most treasured broadcaster still updates this playlist every few weeks and it is designed to be played in order – “NO WAY SHUFFLE! NO WAY!” as the description makes clear. It is genuinely full of incredibly smooth rap, R&B, and jazz songs that are a welcome addition to many of my own playlists. If you need some new music, go and see what John Campbell has to offer.
Go To
Movies for the International Film Festival
So dope and so many good ones. Here are some of our faves: Asteroid City, the new Wes Anderson (Saturday, August 5 at 6:00pm). How to Blow Up a Pipeline, which is exactly what it sounds like (Friday/Saturday, August 4th/5th, 4:15 and 8:15 respectively). Billion Dollar Heist, about how a typo thwarted an Indian bank job (Tuesday August 8th, 8:30, or Monday August 14, 1:30). Late Night with the Devil, about a real-life late-night broadcast in the ‘70s featuring psychics, magicians and Satanic possession (Friday/Saturday, August 18th/19th, 5:00 and 8:30 respectively). Shin Ultraman, the Japanese reboot from the studio behind the stunning Shin Godzilla (Monday August 7, 8:30, and Sunday August 20, 4:45). And finally, Sisu, which sounds like a Finnish Inglorious Bastards, with a run time “entirely made up” of killing Nazis in ever-more-cathartic ways (Friday August 4, 8:30, and Tuesday August 15, 8:30).
Support
The Vietnamese Women’s Football Team
The Women’s FIFA World Cup has arrived in Dunedin and my god has it been spectacular. The Netherlands and Switzerland are the teams who have thus far conquered Forsyth, so let's all get behind the Vietnamese Women’s Team who play The Netherlands on Tuesday the 1st of August. My reasoning is plain and simple: an underdog is always good. Plus I have American flatmates and it will allow me to play some serious socio-political mind games, as they have a bit of a history of underestimating the Vietnamese. We’ll see if the Dutch make the same mistake. See you at the game! Also, these are literally the cheapest FIFA tickets you will ever see in your life. Be there or be square.
Cancel
Glorifying true crime, or simping over the perpetrators
The Jeffery Dahmer series and Ted Bundy movie were legit so icky – they gave so much screen time to people that had committed monstrous acts without really paying much mind to the impact they had on the world around them. It’s alright to be fascinated by modern monsters, and true crime is probably the oldest genre in the world, but you don’t need to glaze over the fact that these people were fucking losers. They were insufferable and would probably smell awful, too. Don’t glamorise it, and definitely don’t try to monetise the stories of the dead for YouTube clickbait. Yuck. If you’re gonna do true crime, do it right: it should make you feel horrible, not entertained. Oh and by the way, use the code Critic10 for ten percent off when you sign up to Squarespace! Alright, back to the violent murder.