Philip Matthews

Sam Neill's performance as pervy painter Norman Lindsay in Sirens, alongside uptight vicar Hugh Grant, seems especially overlooked in the recent top 20

Agree about Sirens, especially.

Sam Neill’s 20 best roles – sorted! The New Zealand actor has been delivering cracking performances for more than 40 years. Here’s our pick of the crop

The trouble with not getting a NZer to rank Sam Neill’s top 20 performances is they miss Sleeping Dogs www.theguardian.com/film/2025/au...

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Cartoon. Title: “What did happen to the dinosaurs?” Image shows Shane Jones as a dinosaur, holding a placard with one of his little arms. The placard reads “Bring Back Fossil Fuels” Lots of people are shouting, “Watch out!” “Shane!” “Run! “OMG!” “Run!” “Shane! “ “Duck!” as three meteors thunder towards him.

The unrepentant unreconstructed Shane Jones.
My Stuff #cartoon today #NZpol #FossilFuels #ClimateCrisis

Looks great

Poetry in @thepress.co.nz letters

Brilliant

Into the void

Watch: Lewd gossip about Tory Whanau shared by Auckland councillor Maurice Williamson The sexually explicit comments were made in an Auckland Council committee meeting.

People may question why I’m opening up now, or calling this a political hit job. Frankly I don’t care what people call it, the community DESERVES to know who these men are. If they can’t treat colleagues with basic decency, they don’t deserve to be elected. Don’t be gross, easy as that.

Integrity Briefing: Waikato Medical School – A Costly case study in policy capture The Government's decision to proceed with establishing a new medical school at the University of Waikato is not, at its core, a decision about health policy.

“The Waikato medical school greenlight might be a political win for a few, but it’s a loss for New Zealand’s standards of governance. It undermines confidence that our health investments are made wisely and fairly.” Bryce Edwards from

open.substack.com/pub/theinteg...

On the road to sainthood for the Gallagher brothers

Amazing

Child sexual exploitation, bestiality material allegedly found on top cop’s work device Deputy Commissioner Jevon McSkimming - the country’s second most powerful police officer - resigned in May “after allegations of a very serious nature” came to light.

www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/3607...

Colbert has the highest ratings of any late night host.

"Financial reasons" my ass. This is political.

Damn right!

Polkinghorne: Inside the Trial of the Century by Steve Braunias - Aotearoa New Zealand Review of Books A writer 'at the top of his game' interrogates a case of sex, drugs and (maybe) murder.

A terrific review from @secondzeit.bsky.social not least for the killer phrase the 'Polkinghorne of plenty'.

www.nzreviewofbooks.com/polkinghorne...

Thanks

Fat Freddy’s Drop leader, ‘Mu’ Chris Faiumu, dies DJ Mu, who defined the sound of Wellington music from Fat Freddy’s Drop to Roots Foundation, has died.

Sad news www.thepost.co.nz/nz-news/3607...

Rock star Nick Cave makes 'interesting' donation to Hove charity shop A Hove charity bookshop has received a donation from a world famous rock star.

www.theargus.co.uk/news/2531576...

Polkinghorne: Inside the Trial of the Century by Steve Braunias - Aotearoa New Zealand Review of Books A writer 'at the top of his game' interrogates a case of sex, drugs and (maybe) murder.

I reviewed Steve Braunias' Polkinghorne book at some length. www.nzreviewofbooks.com/polkinghorne...

It's amazing how closely it resembles the Trump years but in a more deranged way

Thanks, I might watch that later.

Last night I watched an excellent doco on Netflix about Bolsonaro-era Brazil, including their disastrous, hands-off Covid response. I thought of it again today when reading more about Sir Ian Taylor. (It's APOCALYPSE IN THE TROPICS).

Oh no

It seems the most sensible. The one in town would be pretty crowded next to the Scott statue and the churchyard near the airport strikes the wrong note.

Sirens

Three sites in Christchurch shortlisted for Erebus memorial The $3.8m memorial, designed for a reserve in Auckland but scrapped after vocal opposition, may need to be reconfigured to fit a Christchurch site.

There are three possible options for the Erebus Memorial in Chch www.thepress.co.nz/nz-news/3607...

An excellent explainer of all that is terrible about the regulatory Standards Bill.

We have been warned!

www.thepress.co.nz/nz-news/3607...