Money in the Morgue
by Ngaio Marsh & Stella Duffy (Collins Crime Club, 2018)
The murder mystery is astutely handled. Inspector Alleyn appears earlier than usual and the entire affair takes place over the course of one night, adding a sense of urgency. The espionage angle is less convincing—perhaps explaining why Marsh abandoned the work-in-progress?
Children of the Dog Star
by Ken Catran; dir. Chris Bailey (TVNZ, 1984)
6-part children’s SF series with a vibe similar to Chocky or Children of the Stones (and like those programmes most effective in the eerie setup phase). The young actors do quite well and the New Zealand setting is refreshing. Memorable theme music.
Underrunners
by Margaret Mahy (Viking, 1992); audiobook read by Richard Mitchley (Brilliance, 2017)
Set in rural New Zealand, a down-to-earth middle-grade exploration of hope, disappointment and making the most of things; of using imagination as a coping mechanism yet still facing up to reality. Mahy plumps for realism and character development over clichéd happy endings.
The New Legends of Monkey, Season 2
The plot this season is more coherent and engaging, though in an odd inversion of the 1970s production, Monkey’s vain, rather dim-witted character proves the weakest of the regulars. Josh Thomson is masterful as Pigsy, showcasing New Zealand’s distinct brand of humour.
Guns Akimbo
dir. Jason Lei Howden (2020)
Daniel Radcliffe works hard to carry this stylised and at times highly violent action comedy. (‘Comedy’ is used here advisedly; a pervasive graphic novel vibe all but obliterates the film’s understated New Zealand humour.) Clunky characterisation and scripting undercut the intended satire.
Mrs Windyflax and the Pungapeople
by Barry Crump; ill. Murray Ball (Hodder Moa Beckett, 1995)
Though Crump’s rhyming verse and storyline aren’t up to much, Ball renders this children’s picture book visually resplendent through a mix of vibrant cartoon watercolours and his more usual Footrot Flats-type illustrations. The New Zealand landscapes offer a pleasing point of difference.
Teeth of the Wolf
by Dan Rabarts & Lee Murray (Raw Dog Screaming Press, 2018)
Rabarts and Murray go from strength to strength in this second instalment, blending SF, Horror and Mystery in a murky, not-quite-dystopian New Zealand setting. Again, the story alternates between Penny and Matiu, two disparate but—to the authors’ credit—evenly balanced protagonists.
Hounds of the Underworld
by Dan Rabarts and Lee Murray (Raw Dog Screaming Press, 2017)
An understated but engrossing SF murder mystery set in rundown near-future New Zealand. What starts as a character study—pairing up and alternating between Penny, a straight-laced scientific consultant, and Matiu, her dissident brother, both of Chinese-Maori descent—blossoms into supernatural horror.
Footrot Flats, Gallery 1
by Murray Ball (Hachette Livre NZ, 2005)
Just as Charles M. Schulz gave the world Charlie Brown and Snoopy, so too did New Zealand artist Murray Ball give us grouchy farmer Wal Footrot and his imaginative Dog – the lesser known of the comic strip duos but no less charismatic!
Hunt for the Wilderpeople
dir. Taika Waititi (2016)
A distinct, refreshingly understated vein of Kiwi humour runs through this New Zealand coming of age (at all ages) film. Sam Neil and newcomer Julian Dennison excel, playing the withdrawn farmer and troubled foster child who unwittingly set off an international manhunt.