Film Review – Conrad – 27/3/98 This thought provoking, funny and poignant movie is driven by an insightful screenplay which has already won a 1998 Golden Globe Award, and was written by two relative new comers, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, who also play the lead character and his best friend respectively. The movie was…
– Conrad – 13/3/98 One of the most emotive issues in New Zealand at the moment is the displaying of an ‘art work’ at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa (unfortunately there are no pictures on the Web site). It is basically a statuette of the Virgin Mary with a condom pulled over…
NZ Music review – Conrad – 30/1/98 Bike is New Zealand guitar pop at its best, producing 40 minutes of shimmering melodic moodiness in their first full length CD ‘Take in the Sun’. Bike is the new vehicle for Andrew Brough’s international class song-writing, previously heard through StraightJacket Fits, one of New Zealand’s most successful…
Film review – Conrad – 13/11/97 There should be a warning on the promotional material for this movie that it is likely to induce paranoia and a disconnection from reality. At least that’s how I felt when I came out. This is one of those movies that seems somehow familiar (I was reminded of Scorceses’…
Film review – Conrad – 23/10/97 “Baby, you’re money, you are money”. So Trent (Vince Vaughn) tries to convince his friend Mike (Jon Favreau, first seen here in New Zealand as Monica’s millionaire boyfriend in ‘Friends’) that he is capable of re-entering the dating scene. Mike’s transition from a love torn loser trying to get…
Conrad – 9/10/97 The vote for a change of electoral system to MMP in 1995 was fuelled as much as anything by public disillusionment with politicians, and frustration at the difficulty in having any impact on Government policy. We have limited options when it comes to expressing this: we can sign petitions, we can march…
– Conrad – 11/9/97 No one would deny that Christchurch, New Zealand, has a problem with smog in the Winter. It’s an asthmatics nightmare and can, at times, exceed the World Health Organisations standards. That the Canterbury Regional Council is serious in its desire to tackle the problem is admirable, but the community is divided…
– Conrad – 4/9/97 A recent report, by retired High Court judge Sir Thomas Thorp, recommends that military-style semi-automatic weapons should be banned and that the New Zealand Government should buy back currently owned ones at market prices. This is a move similar to that made recently by the Australian Government, which has spent an…
– Conrad – 14/8/97 The New Zealand Police have recently trialled the use of hidden speed cameras. Up until now all speed cameras have been in designated and sign-posted areas only, enabling speedsters to slow down and then speed up again as necessary. New Zealand motorists have become extremely fast in their braking reaction times…
– Conrad – 31/7/97 The Background In October 1996 New Zealand had its first General Election under the Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) System whereby voters had two votes – one for an electorate MP and one for a Party. Thus the New Zealand Parliament consists of sixty electorate MPs and sixty MPs drawn from Party…
