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Race with storyline is frustrating in the long run

LEE HENAGHAN - © Fairfax NZ News

REVIEW: Need for Speed: The Run is Electronic Arts' latest attempt to breathe some life into its once-dominant racing franchise.

Peasants ready to hit the charts

Rockquest winners set for stardom

NAOMI ARNOLD - © Fairfax NZ News

Top Nelson teen band the Peasants have taken another step towards the big time, with the release of their debut single Letting Go today.

Death Club to come calling

A new band with a dark name and look will be launching a tongue-in-cheek tune at The Little Day Out in Victory Square this Sunday.

Meet the eloquent Kurnel MC

If you've ever seen hip hop being performed live in Nelson, there is a good chance the guy behind the mic was Luke Epapara, aka The Kurnel MC.

Clooney is convincing

MATT LAWREY AT THE MOVIES - © Fairfax NZ News

If I were to ask you to sum up your philosophy on life in a nutshell, what would you say?

Nice girl, shame about the guys

ALASTAIR PAULIN - © Fairfax NZ News

REVIEW: Your tolerance level for the sweet, funny sitcom New Girl will rest upon how much endearing hipster cuteness you can stomach.

Batucada Sound Machine: Don't Keep Silent

NICK WARD - © Fairfax NZ News

As the sole thriving survivors of the brassy Latin-funk-soul ensembles that popped up across Auckland during the past decade, the Batucadas have learnt that you don't stay at the top of your game by being complacent.

Home and away

TRACY NEAL - © Fairfax NZ News

Nelson will be graced with the presence of two Kiwi songbirds on Friday night, writes Tracy Neal.

Loons embark on burlesque fundraiser

ANNA PEARSON - © Fairfax NZ News

Feeling altruistic? Then why not head along to Hanussen – The Palace of Burlesque? If you're over the age of 16, that is.

DiCaprio compensates for weaknesses

DAVID MANNING - © Fairfax NZ News

A wooden biopic of a notable character in American history is saved by another sterling performance by Leonardo DiCaprio, reviewer David Manning says.

Loving Chambers' music

NAOMI ARNOLD - © Fairfax NZ News

Internet sensation Ben Chambers on singing, theatre and the weird world of YouTube.

Review: When Buskers Go Bad

GAIL TRESIDDER - © Fairfax NZ News

REVIEW: The five acts here for our Buskerburgoo this year are the real thing, buskers of quality and class, and their cabaret show was fast-moving, skilful and often hilarious.

Busk out the moves

Street performer Lee Nelson will have travelled further than most when he takes part in Buskerburgoo the Nelson Buskers and Street Theatre Series - starting this week.

Metallica: Beyond Magnetic

NICK WARD - © Fairfax NZ News

For those who didn't get enough of Metallica's return to form with Death Magnetic (and have forgiven them for the turgid Lou Reed collaboration Lulu), here are four songs that missed the cut.

Best sitcom of the past 12 months: and the award goes to...

NICK WARD - © Fairfax NZ News

REVIEW: The voting for the best sitcom of the past 12 months (me and a few mates, all decisions final) has been bitterly divided.

A display of heart and humanity

DAVID MANNING - © Fairfax NZ News

A story about ordinary people scores highly with film reviewer David Manning.

Rocking out in Nelson

Musical maestro Tiki Taane will join Aloe Blacc, the John Butler Trio and Annabel Fay for Wednesday's More FM Summer Vineyard Tour at Trafalgar Park.

Streets to come alive

Nelson will be alive and kicking over the next few days as buskers let loose on city streets and unsuspecting onlookers.

Who will have the power with new consoles?

LEE HENAGHAN - © Fairfax NZ News

The current crop of consoles are rapidly approaching the end of their natural life cycles, with major players Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo secretly working on the next generation of hardware.

Blackcurrants at the heart of diverse Sarau Festival

(Live Matches)

Cheesemaking, stone carving, a mountainbike race through native bush and vineyards - Sunday's Sarau Festival sounds more like a workout than a country fair and blackcurrant festival.

REM: Part Lies Part Heart Part Truth Part Garbage

Michael Stipe's pseudy mumble made REM an iffy proposition in their formative years, but they more than proved to be worth persevering with.

Top music - and much more

Canaan Downs is getting ready for the rhythms of an earth-friendly summer solstice party, writes Patrick Rose.

Top talent at festival

Festival-goers will be spoiled for choice on Sunday, but Brightwater Wine and Food Festival organiser Glenda Buschl says she is not worried about competition from competing events.

Back, and still crazy after all these years

If you find it difficult to feel pity for the two self-absorbed fashionistas at the heart of Absolutely Fabulous, then this is the time to dredge your heart for a smidgen of compassion.

Mystery and melancholy

The film portrayal of a classic le Carre novel is a detective story and "whodunnit in spookland" that demands the audience's attention, writes David Manning.

Luminate Festival returns

High above the flood-ravaged parts of Golden Bay and far from the slips of Nelson, Jules Harper and Rita Davies are working hard with a team of people to get things ready for the fifth annual Luminate Festival.

Gervais wears out his welcome in this cheapie

REVIEW: The Ricky Gervais Show TV3, Sundays, 11.30pm Reviewed by Nick Ward.

Victoria Girling-Butcher: Summit Drive

NICK WARD - © Fairfax NZ News

Ms Girling-Butcher has always rated highly on my list of cruelly under-rated Kiwi talent, with only modest rewards to show from her years at the helm of pop-rock trio Lucid3.

Manic Street Preachers: National Treasures

It's a pity that Godzone has treated the Manics the way we treat their fellow Welshmen on the footy field (it probably doesn't help that their only noticeable single here was the oddly titled Motorcycle Emptiness).

War horse

DAVID MANNING - © Fairfax NZ News

Spielberg is at his masterful best in War Horse, a sweeping saga about a noble steed named Joey, whose strength and stamina are tested on a Devon farm and then in World War 1.

Master director lights up the screen

A Hollywood heavyweight celebrates the magic of youth at the movies in Nelson this week. David Manning offers his verdict.

Tree of life (M)

DAVID MANNING - © Fairfax NZ News

Film buffs are likely to appreciate, or at least tolerate, director Terrence Malick's ambitious film which is basically a domestic drama in the midst of bombastic digressions into primordial beginnings and metaphysical endings.

Celebrate around the lake

TRACY NEAL - © Fairfax NZ News

St Arnaud locals are proud of their spectacular backyard of the Nelson Lakes, so what better way to celebrate it than with the Festival of the Lake, taking place this weekend?

In perfect harmony

CAROLINE CRICK - © Fairfax NZ News

If singing alone in the shower is not quite doing it for you, the Nelson Bays Harmony Chorus' open rehearsal is an opportunity to have a taster of singing in a large choral group.

Bringing the klezmer

A Wellington band who play klezmer – "Jewish root music" – are making their first visit to Nelson this week.

All the fairytales you know packed into one show

Fairytales will never be the same again after they get a touch of the absurd.

A throwback to the good old days of gaming

LEE HENAGHAN - © Fairfax NZ News

Rayman: Origins is an unexpected gem of a game that is nostalgic without being dated, and somehow manages to feel fresh, futuristic and familiar all at the same time.

Festival's return thrills crowd

The Marlborough Express

The comeback of the Kaikoura Roots Festival is being hailed a hit from every perspective, with some even labelling it the best yet.

Back to the Roots again

Top of the south music fans might have become resigned to farewelling big multi-day events, especially with the demise of the Phat festivals, but now one is back.

Save the world, save yourself

REVIEW: In the same way that massive alien structures hover above the world's cities in Falling Skies, the spectre of Steven Spielberg hangs over the show.

Ukulele treat for Nelson

Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra strap

It's been a couple of years since the Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra last played in Nelson, and they're determined to make up for the absence when they return this weekend.

Strum on the heart strings

Mandy Pickering is showcasing more than just her music at the Woollaston Estates winery next Thursday, with the help of eight guitars built from the timbers of some of Christchurch's historic earthquake-damaged buildings.

Holmes sequel an opportunity wasted

A super sleuth and a criminal mastermind clash at the movies in Nelson this week. David Manning offers his verdict on what happens next.

Trio of talent wows Woollaston

REVIEW: Woollaston Estate Gala concert series - An Evening with Malcolm McNeill. Reviewed by Janet Whittington

Streep makes a riveting Iron Lady

One formidable woman takes on another, at the movies in Nelson this week. David Manning offers his verdict.

TV3's bastion of quality

As we lurch into another new year full of uncertainties, the search is on for the few remaining quality shows on free-to-air television.

The Guard (R13)

Debut writer-director John Michael McDonagh takes a couple of conventional storylines – an odd-couple pairing and a fish-out-of-water situation – to construct a sly, offbeat, beguiling and funny Irish black comedy.

Amiria Grenell: Three Feathers

Kiwi country legend John Grenell is probably unique in having four kids continuing the family musical legacy – former Shapeshifter drummer Redford is the best-known, but don't overlook the charming Amiria.

Soaring to the challenge

David Manning discovers a perfect pre-Christmas escape at the movies in Nelson this week.

Back when improv was hot

REVIEW: The end of the year inevitably brings the end of our favourite shows, as the networks prepare to bombard us with cheesy Christmas shows and old movies while we hang out for more new stuff. But many prime time staples will keep going, thank goodness.

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