Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: Summer's record has come early

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  • Crunchy Weta,

    and I have mates too...

    Mamaku • Since Nov 2006 • 35 posts Report Reply

  • Steve Parks,

    For no other reason than "Saturday, Saturday, Saturday comes, Sunday comes, we go...

    Wellington • Since May 2007 • 1165 posts Report Reply

  • Geoff Lealand,

    @Steve; saw a preview at The Lido, Hamilton. I believe it is on general release next week.

    Screen & Media Studies, U… • Since Oct 2007 • 2562 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha,

    heard from reliable sources that it is pretty darn good

    This familiar-looking bloke on Kate Rodger's show reckoned it was a bit alright (from 2 mins).

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Grant McDougall,

    Regarding music shops in Dunedin, things aren't perfect, but there's a few shops that people might not be aware of.

    Too Tone at Port Chalmers is good for vinyl and new NZ CDs. It's located within Chick's Hotel (now a good venue, not a wharfie pub). It's ran by the very on-to-it Tony Renouf that used to work in the 2nd-hand dept at Echo.

    The Player at level 2, 57 Vogel St worth checking out as it has a good vinyl selection, but is also too pricey overall, sadly.

    Dunedin • Since Dec 2006 • 760 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha,

    Was Chick's called that when it was a wharfie pub?

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Kyle Matthews,

    It's been called Chicks for many years. six or seven years ago it was pretty rough, and mostly smelt or the beer in the carpet.

    Good music venue now.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report Reply

  • Jolisa,

    Yup, The Social Network is a good film.

    Seconded - it's riveting. It's taken a bit of stick for its portrayal/deployment of women but Aaron Sorkin made a fairly credible defence of that choice. It's descriptive rather than prescriptive, apparently. At least one reviewer dubbed the film The Homosocial Network -- ZING!

    I was surprised at how autistic they made Zuckerberg -- that's never been my impression of him -- but it's a groovy piece of cinema.

    Have you read Zadie Smith's take on the film in the NYRB? She takes the film apart in a way that's quietly brilliant, but not before summing up its appeal to archetype:

    Simply put, he is a computer nerd, a social “autistic”: a type as recognizable to Fincher’s audience as the cynical newshound was to Howard Hawks’s. To create this Zuckerberg, Sorkin barely need brush his pen against the page. We came to the cinema expecting to meet this guy and it’s a pleasure to watch Sorkin color in what we had already confidently sketched in our minds. [..]
    It’ll be a long time before a cinema geek comes along to push Jesse Eisenberg, the actor who plays Zuckerberg, off the top of our nerd typologies. The passive-aggressive, flat-line voice. The shifty boredom when anyone, other than himself, is speaking. The barely suppressed smirk. Eisenberg even chooses the correct nerd walk: not the sideways corridor shuffle (the Don’t Hit Me!), but the puffed chest vertical march (the I’m not 5'8”, I’m 5'9”!).

    Auckland, NZ • Since Nov 2006 • 1472 posts Report Reply

  • Jolisa,

    Another reason to read the Zadie Smith piece: it's very evocative of time and place. (I was teaching a freshman class at Yale the semester that "The Facebook" arrived on campus and was immediately adopted and spread like proverbial wildfire -- mainly as far as I could tell, by the female students. I still have the paper somewhere that one student wrote about her first encounter with it, and how it had taken over her life. Should have bought shares!)

    Another fave bit:

    If it’s not for money and it’s not for girls—what is it for? With Zuckerberg we have a real American mystery. Maybe it’s not mysterious and he’s just playing the long game, holding out: not a billion dollars but a hundred billion dollars. Or is it possible he just loves programming?

    Auckland, NZ • Since Nov 2006 • 1472 posts Report Reply

  • Steve Parks,

    This familiar-looking bloke on Kate Rodger's show reckoned it was a bit alright (from 2 mins).

    Thanks, I'd seen the second half of that episode, and hadn't realised I had missed the review of Social Network (or that Russell was the reviewer).

    Edit: Also, I think that part of Kate's show should be longer. i'd like to see more time for her to talk to different guest reviewers about each film - it's a way of reviewing movies that tele is particularly suited to.

    Wellington • Since May 2007 • 1165 posts Report Reply

  • Werner Shmidt,

    I am 63. Though I wonder about the 'older' looking person on the front who was into the music even more than we were at the back in the middle.
    Had a blast and decision to go was partially on your recommendation. I agree with your comments. Ladi6 performance was indeed great; a lot of polish, high energy, not to be missed if it comes around your town this summer..

    Since Nov 2010 • 2 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    I am 63. Though I wonder about the 'older' looking person on the front who was into the music even more than we were at the back in the middle.

    Oh, hi!

    Yeah, that tall older guy at the front was having a great time. Wonder if he was a PA reader too?

    Had a blast and decision to go was partially on your recommendation. I agree with your comments. Ladi6 performance was indeed great; a lot of polish, high energy, not to be missed if it comes around your town this summer..

    Nice to know. And like I said, I reckon the show will develop over the summer.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    Four and a half minutes of Ladi6 at the Powerstation on Friday:

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Jackie Clark,

    I know she's not a Kiwi, but I LOVE her. Her being Eska Mtungwasi.


    Mt Eden, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 3136 posts Report Reply

  • Grant McDougall,

    Was Chick's called that when it was a wharfie pub?

    It's called Chick's because Chick was the surname of the actual original publican back in the late 1800s. Sorry to burst your bubble, Sasha...

    Dunedin • Since Dec 2006 • 760 posts Report Reply

  • Bruce Wurr,

    Would have been keen but opted for Swans in March instead, as I can't afford both (capital: it fails me now ...). Were you the one on the thread a while ago talking about the Swans and Neubauten shows? If so, any, er, feedback?

    Yep, that was indeed me......the Swans were amazing, saw them last week and also quite brutal. It's going to surprise some people I think, we've maybe not seen gigs like that for a long time. Also quite beautiful as well in a strange way....but probably the loudest I've been to for a long time.

    Neubauten was the 30th anniversary shows, there was one on a Sat, one on a Sunday. I'm not overly familiar with the "classic" songs so couldn't tell you what was played (apart from Silence Is Golden), but both shows were fantastic. The Sunday night one was the darker of the two, with a couple of free noise performances as well, the Saturday being a longer performance. Most of the crowd oddly enough were European, a lot having come over just for the gig. My only complaint is that they overprice their merch far too high......£25 for a cd, £30 for a t shirt......

    And coming up in December, the dead c and bardo pond on a double bill - can't wait!

    Auckland • Since Dec 2006 • 97 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha,

    Sorry to burst your bubble

    Knew there'd be a story..

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Kyle Matthews,

    It's called Chick's because Chick was the surname of the actual original publican back in the late 1800s.

    My ex once played pool for the Crown Hotel's third division team. One day she was bemoaning the fact that there were so few females playing pool, and how she was looking forward to play all the girls from "Chicks". I had to disillusion her sadly.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report Reply

  • Ian Dalziel,

    Tony Renouf

    I'm assuming this is the same Tony Renouf who is a stalwart of the NZ comic scene, and illustrator of Sam the Tram

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

  • Kumara Republic,

    Talking about good things, do get to see The Social Network. The short history of Facebook but also about friendship, betrayal, class and snobbery, and America.

    Ideally seen in conjunction with Pirates of Silicon Valley.

    The southernmost capital … • Since Nov 2006 • 5446 posts Report Reply

  • Grant McDougall,

    I'm assuming this is the same Tony Renouf who is a stalwart of the NZ comic scene, and illustrator of Sam the Tram

    One and the same.

    Dunedin • Since Dec 2006 • 760 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    Talking about good things, do get to see The Social Network. The short history of Facebook but also about friendship, betrayal, class and snobbery, and America.

    Ideally seen in conjunction with Pirates of Silicon Valley.

    Absolutely! Pirates was never the mainstream film-of-the-moment (it was made for cable TV) but it does a similar job of telling a story of the people behind the technology -- in this case, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates.

    Best of all, the year it came out, I was at Macworld Expo New York. Everyone was in the conference hall waiting for the Steve keynote -- and Noah Wyle came out! It took a minute or so for everyone to grasp that it wasn't the real Steve Jobs.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha,

    bemoaning the fact that there were so few females playing pool, and how she was looking forward to play all the girls from "Chicks"

    Now *there's* a story

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Werner Shmidt,

    *Nice to know. And like I said, I reckon the show will develop over the summer*

    Agreed. And using the line from Arnie "I will be back" for another show from Ladi6 later this summer.

    Since Nov 2010 • 2 posts Report Reply

  • Jackie Clark,

    Just to say – Sam and Luke et al, thanks for the gig tonight. I would have paid any money just to hear Hitchcock played live. And I loved the new song, Thirteenth Floor. I hadn't realised until tonight just how very "Wall of Sound" in a Pink Floyd psychedelic fantastic sort of way your music is. I have always loved your instrumental stuff, and it was a pleasure to hear it played live. And I repeat - would have paid any money to hear Hitchcock. It's an inspired piece of music.

    Mt Eden, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 3136 posts Report Reply

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