Pop Culture

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 The Spinoff’s weekly guide to the very best in entertainment, delivered to your inbox every Friday.

The Spinoff Members

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Move over meat and dairy – these are our highest quality exports. 

How does New Zealand produce so many successful child actors?

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New documentary gives insight into what is driving the country's youth to carry out ram raids and why prison might not be the answer.

Review: Ram Raid Mums provides a blueprint for breaking the cycle

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‘If I didn't do it, no other bugger would.’

The small town cinemas holding on at the edge of the world

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Including a new Christmas eve action film to rival Die Hard, good news for Inside Out fans and a 90s romantic classic. 

New to streaming: What to watch on Netflix NZ, Neon and more this week

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'That's the thing about live TV, and especially live sports ... there's always that element of jeopardy.'

‘Damn near knocked me out’: Scotty Stevenson’s biggest live TV headache

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'This laid down a challenge that I couldn’t ignore, and haunted me for much of my life...'

‘Māori Bass should be its own genre’: Mokotron’s perfect weekend playlist

Gabi Lardies

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Some much-needed life is being breathed back into Auckland's all-ages scene. Two former underage gig-goers enter the mosh once more.

Review: Double Whammy’s first all-ages gig proves punk is for the children

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A few all-time classics, a couple of new releases, some that stretch the definition of 'Christmas movie'... and Lindsay Lohan in a pear tree.

Our favourite Christmas movies and where to watch them

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There are better ways to support the artists who got you through 2024.

A reminder about your Spotify Wrapped 

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In a Q+A interview on Sunday, the prime minister said 'what I say to you is' 26 times in 30 minutes. 

A journey through the 26 times Luxon said ‘what I say to you is’ on Q+A

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Meticulously put together, energy sky high, not a single moment or movement or cowboy hat wasted.

Review: Troye Sivan turns Spark Arena into a sexy, sweaty spectacle 

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Including another side of ram raids, a new Star Wars adventure, and the Marmalade-loving bear we all need right now.

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From meditative surfer types to raps that rhyme Hone Heke with 'teke', here's the best bits we caught at The Others Way festival on Saturday.

Six hours and 10 acts at The Others Way

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The comedian takes us through his life in television, including the genius of Spongebob and the pitfalls of being 'the Burger King guy'.

‘Blood everywhere’: David Correos on his shocking Give Us a Clue appearance

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From naughty grooves to rock'n'roll that refuses to sink into the swamp – 10 tunes that make Sam Fowles' weekend perfect.

‘It’s so funky here, you can smell it’: Sam Fowles’ perfect weekend playlist

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Here's your chance to catch up on the best local shows you might have missed this year.

Where to watch all the big winners from the NZ TV Awards

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It's the first Disney film in an indigenous language to premiere at the same time as its English equivalent – and it could be a game-changer for Aotearoa.

Moana 2 Reo Māori makes history

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Including HBO's latest crime drama, Martin Scorsese's new Beatles documentary and a season with the Chiefs.

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If you're a fan of cosy British biopics and Bill Nighy swearing in a lab coat, this is the film for you.

Review: Thomasin McKenzie out-sasses Bill Nighy in Netflix’s Joy

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'Whenever you're writing about TV, there's always a bit of memoir in it.'

‘You bring your whole life to watching TV’: Critic Diana Wichtel on a life in review

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The writer and professor shares some of his favourite books – and the one he'd purge from his memory if he could.

‘A sick wish fulfilment fantasy, so badly written’: Harry Ricketts’ biggest book regret

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A much maligned old friend is reborn as a field of dreams. 

How Mt Smart stadium became the most electric place in Auckland this year

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Leaked emails and documents show that the media giant will soon break apart – opening up a range of options for owner Sinead Boucher.

Stuff ‘consciously uncouples’ into two separate digital and print businesses

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With funding stagnant since 2008, the broadcaster is racing to adapt to a digital world – but at what cost?

With its daily news bulletin scrapped, what’s next for Whakaata Māori?

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Some in the industry say a small number of negligent trainers 'buggered it' for everyone else.

Greyhound racing sprints toward the finish line

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Believe it or not, this is not a joke headline.

Auckland Council opposes new housing because motorists won’t be able to see a hill

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This year's best local fiction, nonfiction and poetry for adults and children, as chosen by our panel of readers. 

The Spinoff’s best NZ books of 2024

This week José Barbosa is joined by Don Rowe and together they test the limits of human emotional endurance by playing the bomb defusing simulator, 

The Spinoff

Pop CultureApril 1, 2016

Video: Backseat Driver – Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes

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Pop CultureApril 1, 2016

Video: Backseat Driver – Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes

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