Reviews

Sherlock’s detective sister

By Nevil Gibson | December 1, 2022 | 0 Comments

The superiority of what streaming services provide for home entertainment is more obvious when cinemas can only rustle up second-class fare.  This has been the case for several months, thanks to Hollywood studios falling behind on their usual blockbuster attractions, known as tentpoles, and other factors that may not all … Read More about Sherlock’s detective sister

Legend survives fictional life

By Nevil Gibson | November 18, 2022 | 0 Comments

The decline of Netflix is an example of Mark Twain’s saying that rumours of his death are greatly exaggerated. A drop in global subscriptions, due to a more competitive environment, was reversed in the company’s latest report.  A more interesting aspect of Netflix’s future is whether it will embrace theatrical … Read More about Legend survives fictional life

War poet’s survival guilt

By Nevil Gibson | November 4, 2022 | 0 Comments

It is a conventional view of history that World War I could have been prevented and its tragic legacy avoided. Apart from history-telling, it left a large trove of literature, notably Britain’s war poets.  Few parents of baby boomers would have left New Zealand high schools without being able to … Read More about War poet’s survival guilt

Dame Whina’s long march

By Nevil Gibson | June 25, 2022 | 0 Comments

Between March 12 and April 6, 1930, the world’s media contained daily reports of an Indian protest march from the Sabarmati ashram to Dandi on Gujarat’s western coast. Led by Mahatma Gandhi, it became the symbolic start of anti-colonial resistance using non-violent methods. The “salt march” was one of the … Read More about Dame Whina’s long march

NZ priest asks: What is the Church for?

By NZ Catholic contributor | June 16, 2022 | 0 Comments

BUT WHAT IS THE CHURCH FOR? by Neil Darragh. Accent Publications. 2021. 204pp $40. Reviewed by Br RICHARD DUNLEAVY, FMS An arresting title! The sub-title explains it more specifically: “What is the mission of the local Church?”. When I first leafed through the book from the back, I was struck … Read More about NZ priest asks: What is the Church for?

The Godfather after 50 years

By Nevil Gibson | May 30, 2022 | 0 Comments

Ian Fleming’s minor role in the war drama Operation Mincemeat was greatly outweighed by his later fame as an author. Fleming, an officer in British Naval Intelligence, had earlier been in charge of Operation Goldeneye, a stay-behind plan to prevent a possible alliance between Spain’s Generalissimo Franco and the Axis … Read More about The Godfather after 50 years