Werewolf Issue 28: Getting Hot In Here

Arguably, Rectify has been the best show on TV for the past three years - and yes, no-one but you, me and Philip Matthews have been watching it. In his film column this month, Philip sings the praises of Rectify - notably for the way it handles issues of faith and forgiveness, and for the similarities /divergences it offers to the slow cinema tropes of Andrei Tarkovsky and Bela Tarr. Speaking of television’s virtues and failings, in this month’s issue we also examine the political subtexts/ubertexts in the Homeland series, which somehow manages to be (simultaneously) be both the most and the least culpable show on television when it comes to the stereotypical painting of Islam (and Muslims) with the brush of terrorism.

In our music coverage… this month, we examine white music of all kinds in a search for the ultimate white-out musical experience. By the close, we were hallucinating rainbows of light - which can happen to anyone after listening to the soundtrack of a Terrence Malick movie. Also this month Werewolf traces the evolution of hip hop from a communal music that treated the ‘hood as a mark of its authenticity – to where nowadays, hip hop is more commonly made by solo stars living on lonely, remote planets where the fountains that once bubbled with Cristal now dispense only Ace of Spades, but only to the blessed few who guest on each other’s tracks.

Finally in his satirical column this month, Lyndon Hood discovered the microscopic fine print in New Zealand passports that apparently absolves our governments from the need to ever defend New Zealand citizens when foreign governments begin kicking us around. As always, Lyndon reveals what you need to know.

Thanks BTW to Lyndon for – among other things - helping me post this issue online. If anyone out there ever wants to be involved and talk over some story ideas, contact me at gordon@werewolf.co.nz

Cheers,
Gordon Campbell
Editor, Werewolf