Expectations were high heading into this film, and the start of it is promising. Jason Bourne has spent nine years on the run and off the grid. He looks as cold and as hard as the last time we saw…
Jason Bourne
Author: Simon Mercep
Mr Natural
Billy Crystal in Auckland, July 21 Oh he makes it look so easy. Billy Crystal is relaxed, comfortable, unfussed. He’s invited us around for a chat and a catch up. We might be sitting in his living room, or around…
Star Trek Beyond
How does a writer reinvigorate a story that on one hand is full of characters dear to the hearts of many, but on the other is decades old? How to stave off fatigue? The co writers of Star Trek Beyond,…
On The Road
Just a quick note that with both Steve and Simon away overseas in recent weeks there’s been a slightly longer gap than usual between podcasts. Rest assured they’ll be back very soon with more things to say about music, movies…
Beautiful Disaster, Vancouver
We’ve covered all manner of bands in Crave: big names like the late Prince, hot younger bands like 21 Pilots and Hozier, and brand new acts like Auckland singer songwriter Miller, a name many will be (so far) unfamiliar with.…
Postcard from Oslo, via Ponsonby
They like him here, they like him there. When the “him” is Bruce Springsteen, that’s hardly a surprise. Most of the time I rein in my liking for the man’s music so as not to bore people, but it’s nice…
Twenty One Pilots soar at Vector Arena
Wow. Really. Two young men produced a piece of entertainment at the Vector Arena which took the notion of what a pop concert is all about and flew it to a different, compelling, and utterly engaging level. They had a…
Crave! at Beach Hop in Whangamata
I enjoyed my first Beach Hop at the east Coromandel town of Whangamata last week. I say “enjoyed” deliberately, because there is so much enthusiasm and passion involved in this annual coming together of classic car aficionados that it is…
The Revenant — Simon’s review
I got caught up in the sweep of The Revenant, and the way in which director Alejandro Inarritu transports you to the North American wilderness of the 1820s is the reason why. Because of that, the fact that the story…