Film

52 Tuesdays

Posted 10:15pm Sunday 27th July 2014 by Andrew Kwiatkowski

Wow. Words almost fail me. 52 Tuesdays was filmed over the course of one year, entirely on Tuesdays, to watch the mother-daughter relationship evolve, as Billie’s mother becomes James, her second father. Teen Billie is fairly naive to begin with, but gets totally derailed from herself when Read more...

Locke

Posted 10:15pm Sunday 27th July 2014 by Andrew Kwiatkowski

I know what you are thinking. If the film is just Tom Hardy’s face as he drives and talks on hands-free, how interesting could it be? The answer: RIVETING. And, no, that’s not sarcasm. We follow Ivan Locke on a literal journey to a hospital one night, but more importantly on a figurative one Read more...

Night of the Living Dead

Posted 10:15pm Sunday 27th July 2014 by Alex Campbell-Hunt

Classic Film The mother of all zombie movies and, in my view, the most effective and terrifying, with the possible exception of 28 Days Later; NOTLD did a lot with a small budget, few special effects, few locations and a small cast. The grainy, shaky home-footage look gives it an immediacy Read more...

Words and Pictures

Posted 10:15pm Sunday 27th July 2014 by Andrew Kwiatkowski

Rating: B- Like a lot of bad rom-coms, they really should have ditched the rom-com angle altogether and focused on the much more interesting subplots. Handsome English teacher Jack Marcus (Clive Owen) is having a pretty crummy time, having not been able to write anything worth Read more...

The Face of Love

Posted 10:15pm Sunday 27th July 2014 by Andrew Kwiatkowski

Rating: B+ This movie is like combining American Beauty with Misery, and the plot from The Great Gatsby. With Robin Williams, too, as the same creep-next-door from One Hour Photo. Nikki (Annette Bening) is traumatically widowed when her husband of 30 happy years drowns beside her, but Read more...

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Posted 10:15pm Sunday 27th July 2014 by Baz Macdonald

Rating: A I remember the first time I saw Gollum, and knew that there was something special happening. He was different to other CGI creations; there was something far more complex happening in his movements and expressions. Now, of course, we know that special element was the use of Read more...

Interview: Bill Gosden - International Film Festival Director

Posted 5:12pm Sunday 20th July 2014 by Rosie Howells

In the Auckland and Wellington International Film Festival, there is between 150-170 films playing. And slightly less in Dunedin? Yes, but Dunedin is quite big. I haven’t counted exactly but it’s in the mid 90s. The thing is, with the availability of everything digitally, the time has now passed Read more...

Blended

Posted 5:12pm Sunday 20th July 2014 by Andrew Kwiatkowski

Rating: E Movies, like any art, reflect the culture that created them. If any aliens were to pick up the tired romcom Blended and draw conclusions about our planet’s cultural values, unfortunately they would be morally obliged to vaporise us all immediately. Formula: Adam Sandler is Read more...

Jersey Boys

Posted 5:12pm Sunday 20th July 2014 by Rosie Howells

Rating: B- Let me start by saying that Jersey Boys the stage musical is SO FREAKING GOOD. Following the true story of the mob-associated New Jersey lads’ rise to fame as the squeaky-clean pop sensations The Four Seasons, it included dozens of impeccably-performed hits that you had no idea Read more...

How To Train Your Dragon 2

Posted 5:12pm Sunday 20th July 2014 by Ella Borrie

Rating: B+ How to Train Your Dragon 2 is like one of those shape-sorter toys. It’s not complex, and every emotion fits into perfectly shaped slots. The square block fits in when the young hero acts plucky. A heart-shaped block whenever the pet dragon is adorable. A teardrop block when the Read more...