A Separation

Posted 12:51am Monday 7th May 2012

When I think about the topic of divorce in film, I conjure up scenes of slightly comedic melodrama which only goes so far as the Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn types can take it. I had thought that divorce in film was a topic left to the cardboard world of cliché until the Oscar-winning film A Read more...

We Need to Talk About Kevin

Posted 4:27pm Sunday 18th March 2012

Do you hate your mother for bringing you into this sinister world? Do thoughts about your high school days invoke shivers of disgust throughout you? Have you ever considered putting your baby hamster into the waste disposal? Is your name Kevin Khatchadourian? If yes – we need to talk about you. Read more...

The Artist

Posted 4:38pm Saturday 25th February 2012

Director: Michel Hazanavicius You may think that the silent film genre is basically Fever Club in black and white - the background music increasing in intensity as a stray cougar approaches the object of your desire… It’s not. If you’re interested in film, you should reset those ideas and go Read more...

Biutiful

Posted 3:57am Monday 15th August 2011

Directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, (3.5/5). In Biutiful, Innarritu presents a dark story set amongst the labyrinth-like streets of Barcelona. The film is cyclic, both beginning and ending with death. We watch Uxbal (Javier Bardem), who is the father of two young children and the husband Read more...

Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey (Film Fest)

Posted 3:54am Monday 15th August 2011

Directed by James Miller and Constance Marks, (4/5). Stitch by stitch, the crafting of our most beloved Sesame Street companion is revealed in Being Elmo. Through this documentary we learn about Kevin Clash, a man whose arm and voice has brought him international fame. You may not recognise Read more...

Copacabana

Posted 4:41am Thursday 4th August 2011

Directed by Marc Fitoussi, (4/5). Copacabana is a French comedy about Babou (Isabelle Huppert), a mother who is faced with a relationship break up between her and her daughter, Esmeralda (Lolita Chammah). Esmeralda is very unlike the free spirited gypsy of Victor Hugo’s novel. She is Read more...

The Forgiveness of Blood

Posted 2:58am Thursday 28th July 2011

The New Zealand International Film Festival opens this Thursday, July 28, and is packed to the brim with exciting films from a range of genres. Critic was lucky enough to get a sneak peek at some of the films. Dir: Joshua Marston   Set in a small rural town in Albania, this film Read more...

Kung Fu Panda 2

Posted 4:37am Monday 25th July 2011

Directed by: Jennifer Yuh, (3.5/5). Kung Fu Panda 2 is a visual power-punch despite its sloppy narrative footwork. It opens with a marvelous animation technique influenced by Chinese paper cutting, the first of three different types of animation used in this visually expert and creative Read more...

Source Code

Posted 7:24am Thursday 26th May 2011

Director: Duncan Jones, (4/5). Source Code is 2011's Inception but with less ambiguity and fewer close ups on Leonardo DiCaprio’s concerned, faraway gaze (just kidding, love you Leo). Bird’s-eye view and panning shots of Chicago open this action/sci-fi gift of a Read more...

Mars Needs Moms

Posted 6:22am Wednesday 25th May 2011

Directed by Simon Wells, (2.5/5). Mars is named after the Roman god of war and is often described as the "Red Planet" due to the iron oxide in its surface. A mother is a woman who has given birth to or raised a child in the role of a parent. Mars Needs Moms is a 3D computer-animated film about a Read more...