FRANCESCA RUDKIN: Movies

Star Wars: The Last Jedi starring Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Mark Hamill 

Francesca’s verdict: 4 out of 5!

Good Holiday Movie Picks - all 4 out of 5!

Coco -   Newcomer Anthony Gonzales and Gael García Bernal (The Motorcycle Diaries) star in this Disney-Pixar animated adventure about Dia de los Muertos, co-directed by Lee Unkrich (Toy Story 3).

Paddington 2 -  The sequel to 2014's hit Paddington. Original cast members Hugh Bonneville and Sally Hawkins return alongside newcomers Hugh Grant and Brendan Gleeson. When Paddington is thrown in prison, it's up to his adoptive family, the Browns, to find the real criminal and clear the bear's name.

Breathe - The inspiring true love story of Robin and Diana Cavendish, an adventurous couple who refuse to give up in the face of a devastating disease. Their heartwarming celebration of human possibility marks the directorial debut of Andy Serkis.

The Florida Project - Set over one summer, the film follows precocious 6-year-old Moonee as she courts mischief and adventure with her ragtag playmates and bonds with her rebellious but caring mother, all while living in the shadows of Disney World.

Last Call Pitches: Pitch Perfect 3 starrring Anna Kendrick, Elizabeth Banks, Ruby Rose, John Lithgow, Rebel Wilson

After the highs of winning the World Championships, the Bellas find themselves split apart and discovering there aren't job prospects for making music with your mouth. But when they get the chance to reunite for an overseas USO tour, this group of awesome nerds will come together to make some music, and some questionable decisions, one last time.

NICI WICKES: Food

If you’re tired of turkey and keen for a change this year Nici's recipe for a Festive Stuffed Chicken is the perfect centrepiece for the Christmas table!  The recipe and audio are on our page or for or more inspiration visit  http://www.niciwickes.oom/  or her Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/#!/niciwickes

TARA WARD: Screen Time

Behold these Christmas TV televisual gifts

The Hollow Crown lands on Lightbox with a powerhouse cast including Judi Dench and Benedict Cumberbatch (Lightbox, December 19)

Relive the best moments of 2017 with Kiwi celebrity quiz show Quizmas (Duke, Boxing Day)

Enjoy a royal Christmas with the Victoria Christmas special (TVNZ1, Boxing Day)

Take a slow journey through the Arctic wilderness on All Aboard! The Sleigh Ride (BBC Knowledge, Christmas Eve)

PAUL STENHOUSE: Technology

Google's launched three app-speriments

Oh to have the money in the bank just to build some things and see how they go..

They've launched three apps as experiments all based around photos.

1) Selfissimo - It's like an old school photo booth giving you a collection of black and white photos but instead of taking them every few seconds, it waits for you to pose each time. That's on iOS & Android.

2) Storyboard - You take a video and then the app will automatically pull out the best freeze frames, add some effects, then turn it into a comic book. Android only.

3) Scrubbies - is a app that lets you quickly speed up or slow down a video, turn it into a loop all using your fingers like a turntable. iOS only.

MIKE YARDLEY: Travel

Christmas in Salzburg - For more seasonal tips on getting your jollies in Salzburg, Mike's article is on the website www.newstalkzb.co.nz/lifestyle

CATHERINE RAYNES: Books

Top books for Christmas 

The Rooster Bar - John Grisham

Midnight line - Lee child

Two kinds of Truth - Michael Connelly

Munich - Robert Harris 

A column of fire - Ken Follett

In the midst of winter - Isabelle Allende

Little Fires Everywhere- Celeste Ng

The Alice Network - Kate Quinn

Uncommon Type - Tom Hanks

How Hard Can It Be? - Alison Pearson

Edmund Hillary - Michael Gill

Working Class Man - Jimmy Barnes

Drawn out - Tom Scott

Leonardo Da Vinci - Walter Isaccson

Unbreakable - Jelena Dokic

ANDREW DICKENS: Music

Gwen Stefani 'You Make it Feel Like Christmas' - Andrew's verdict: 6/10

Gwen’s nasally little girl voice gives these songs an interesting twist.  It’s at home on Santa Baby and Silent Night but elsewhere it sometimes feels strained. Blake Shelton’s country flavour is surprising.  Almost pleasantly.  Overall it’s not a masterpiece but it does fit a Kiwi summer during the festive fortnight.