rockets & robots are GO!

IN APPRECIATION OF... THE WORLD CINEMA SHOWCASE

2012-03-05T22:57:00.000+13:00

The centre-piece event of every year for me is the New Zealand International Film Festival. It's two weeks of film-gorging as I get my face in front of as many new and interesting films as I can. I volunteer as an usher each year, I watch up to 5 movies a day and, lately, I've been blogging my daily experiences. It's an intense fortnight and one I absolutely relish. There is, however, a

Film review: THE ARTIST

2012-02-29T21:05:00.000+13:00

Is The Artist the "best" film from the last year, as the Oscars recently decreed? No. No its not. It is a surprise break-out hit from last year, garnering accolades and awards for its cast and writer/director as it played through festivals and limited releases.By now, surely there are few people (reading this wee blog at least) that don't know about The Artist and the decision made for this

Film review: YOUNG ADULT

2012-02-24T10:44:00.001+13:00

Since the release of Juno and her subsequent Oscar win, writer Diablo Cody has suffered something of a backlash. It started during the lead-up to the Oscars and reached its height come the release of Jennifer's Body. There was a slight whiff of misogyny about some of the criticism and people got rather in a lather about her stylised dialogue. These people somehow missed the point. And also,

Film review: THE DESCENDANTS

2012-02-22T14:23:00.001+13:00

Alexander Payne has been gone awhile after his award-winning Sideways. But thankfully, after an absence from cinema screens of 7 or so years he returns with George Clooney and Hawaii.Clooney is Matt King, a lawyer whose family owns a large swathe of land on one of the islands. The films begins with King's wife Elizabeth recently in a coma, seemingly lifeless. King, the back-up parent, must

IN APPRECIATION OF... GOING TO THE MOVIES

2012-02-20T14:35:00.001+13:00

The interior of the El Capitan theatre in LA A couple of things prompted me to compose this entry in my In Appreciation of... series. There is the constant state of flux the cinema distribution and exhibition industry seems to find itself in at the moment. There is the constant improvement of home entertainment options. There is the increasing presence of digital projection in cinemas and the

Film review: TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY

2012-02-16T16:34:00.003+13:00

There have been any number of film and television adaptations of John Le Carre's celebrated work but, until very recently, I had never read one of his novels. Before watching Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy I finished The Looking Glass War - a dry, intelligent and involved work with no happy ending. An ending, in fact, that I could see coming from the beginning but that was no less effective in its

Film review: CHRONICLE

2012-02-15T19:30:00.000+13:00

I think it would be safe to say that the gimmick of "found footage" films are quickly wearing thin for me. Sure, it's been an interesting approach to make in a couple of horror films but, along with shakey-cam, I'm pretty much over the poorly framed, jerky, hard-to-watch camera-work. Not to mention the suspension of disbelief you have to enter into with each new found footage film; we're

Film review: HUGO

2012-02-10T11:31:00.000+13:00

Martin Scorsese's first foray in to new territory - a 3D family adventure film - is nothing short of a cinematic wonder and further proof that Scorsese is a master of cinema working at the top of his game. Surprisingly, the film also serves as something of a call to arms for film history and film preservation; a fact that is all but excluded from the advertising material.The opening few minutes

Film review: SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS

2012-02-07T11:15:00.002+13:00

I LOVE that there's even an officialcharacter poster for the frakkin' dog My first choice for my next film was Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, to complete the Benedict Cumberbatch triumvirate. However, A Game of Shadows maintains some sort of consistency to the pattern: Cumberbatch of course plays the famous detective in the recent BBC miniseries and A Game of Shadows also continues the World War I

Film review: WAR HORSE

2012-01-30T22:36:00.000+13:00

I initially had absolutely no intention of seeing Steven Spielberg's adaptation of the World War I set novel & play, War Horse. Almost nothing about it appealed to me; in fact the only things that did were the WWI setting and the Beard himself. However, after reading a number of positive reviews and reactions online, I decided to give the film a chance. This was Spielberg after all, and World

Film review: THE WHISTLEBLOWER

2012-01-25T15:00:00.000+13:00

This is one of those all too rare films I had never heard of until it was released. I'll clarify: I read a lot of film news and reviews, across a number of different websites and blogs, based here in New Zealand and overseas and I had, not once, come across any mention of The Whistleblower. It's odd enough I felt moved to mention it here. And to also ponder the confusing nature (from an

IN APPRECIATION OF... ROBOCOP

2012-01-11T19:17:00.001+13:00

"Come quietly or there will be... trouble." I love RoboCop. No, that's not quite right. I unashamedly and unreservedly fuckin' love everything about the film RoboCop. I love the violence, the humour, Peter Weller, the 80's futurism, its subversiveness, RoboCop's MASSIVE gun, Miguel Ferrer, ED-209, ED-209 squealing, exploding Emil, Kurtwood Smith, Paul Verhoeven's balls, RoboCOP POV, "I'd buy

THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN

2012-01-07T18:36:00.000+13:00

Like a lot of people (including producer Peter Jackson), I enjoyed the adventures of Herge's coiffed boy reporter when I was young. Heck, my Dad enjoyed Tintin books when he was a kid; Tintin is a character who has been around world literature for some time with any number of kids growing up with him. I can still remember the first adventure I ever read - Tintin in America - and still have a

2012: LOOKING FORWARD

2012-01-05T22:38:00.002+13:00

Laptop? Check. Looking forward/up? Check.Actual still from the film 2012? Check. John Cusack? Check. Result? PERFECT ARTICLE PICTURE Yes, the Mayans have predicted that this is year the world ends. While I certainly don't believe it will (have we already forgotten Y2K?!), 2012 should nevertheless prove to be a big year for me, though perhaps not as film-watching focused as 2011. The reason

29.12: THE MUPPETS

2012-01-05T15:37:00.000+13:00

Repeats of Jim Henson's original Muppet Show played a large part in my upbringing. I grew up on the madcap antics of the felt covered puppets (in addition to Sesame Street and Fraggle Rock); I remember a well worn VHS tape of a great big Muppet celebration recorded off TV figuring large in my early life. Unfortunately, the Muppets have been on something of a downward spiral lately - their

2011: MY FAVOURITES

2012-01-01T12:37:00.002+13:00

Before I get into the rundown of my favourite films of 2011, there's something I just have to get off my chest. It is the end of the year and, as such, there are are a lot of these sorts of lists coming out now. Fair enough. What really annoys me though, what really grinds my gears, is the constant and lazy bagging of all Hollywood fare. It happens every year and it's the same complaints -

2011: CLASSICS & ALSO RANS

2011-12-29T17:07:00.004+13:00

Before we get into the big, meaty wrap up of my favourite films from 2011 I thought I'd give a quick run down of those films that didn't quite make it into the final cut. In addition I'll quickly run through those cinematic classics I was lucky enough to catch, for the first time, on the big screen. Catch-up Classics The DreadnaughtLawrence of ArabiaAn American Werewolf in ParisLa dolce

2011: THE WORST

2011-12-26T16:26:00.000+13:00

It can't be helped. Every year, no matter how hard you try, you're bound to see at least a few pieces of crap at the cinema. You may have the best intentions and all the excitement in the world going in, only to be beaten about the head with shoddy storytelling, idiotic and unbelievable characters, cheap special effects and boredom. Oh yes. It can be a tough time going to the movies. Generally

21.12: MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - GHOST PROTOCOL

2011-12-22T22:11:00.000+13:00

Poster by Matt Owen There are three spy/espionage franchises currently top of the heap in our current age: the continuing Bond films, the Bourne trilogy and Tom Cruise's Mission: Impossible series. Which is interesting if you compare and contrast the lead character from those three franchises. Everyone knows Bond - he may change from actor to actor (most radically, of course, with the recent

13.12: ARTHUR CHRISTMAS

2011-12-22T11:14:00.004+13:00

If I'm being honest, I'm not really the most "Christmassy" person around. Oh, I do love the day and the get together with family and the eating and the drinking and the merriment and the food hangovers and the hangover hangovers and all of that. I'm just not big into the constant Christmas songs in every store you walk into; the forced Christmas jolliness with the blatant and cynical cash-ins

09.12: THE HELP

2011-12-20T12:05:00.000+13:00

I know I'm coming to this film fairly late in the game, but it was one of the ones that got lost in the shuffle between the States and home. I was able to catch up with it thanks to the Penthouse Cinema's $8 "Oscar buzz" deal - films that are beginning to get some Oscar talk, playing twice a week for $8 a pop, a different film each week. I'm interested to see what else is coming up.It's fairly

OOOOH... SNAP(S)!

2011-12-11T19:12:00.000+13:00

Just before I left on my Fantastic Fest trip, I bought myself a new camera. A Canon SX30IS, it's not a fancy SLR type or anything, merely a "point-and-shoot". But it is a very, very good point-and-shoot and over the last couple of months I've been playing around with it, trying to get the best use of it. I've taken to wandering around my local suburb (possibly the beginning of a larger project

A PEEK AT SOMETHING NEW

2011-12-07T13:52:00.001+13:00

Well, as I am currently caught up on all my film reviewing (for the first time in, yes, months!) and currently working away at my wrap-up of 2011 and a longer, more generalised piece I thought I'd post a peek at something else I'm currently working on and hope to have going live soon.That thing would be a podcast. I'm hoping to not only have an audio version of the podcast you can listen to on

28.11: SINGIN' IN THE RAIN

2011-12-02T16:38:00.000+13:00

It seems somewhat appropriate that I would be talking about a 35mm presentation of Singin' in the Rain immediately after my post on 35mm projection vs. DCP. The print wasn't in the best shape - scratches and some audio drop-outs - but, especially with this film, it was less detracting and more a part of it. This special presentation of the classic Hollywood musical was the closing film for the

SO... DO WE STILL CALL THEM FILMS?

2011-11-22T07:44:00.001+13:00

The landscape of film exhibition & distribution has changed dramatically over the past couple of years. Not only has the use of 3D been on the rise - both as a money making gimmick and as a story-telling device - but with it digital cinema projection (DCP). Cinemas have been phasing out/straight up replacing their 35mm projectors (and with them, their projection staff) and making the switch to

29.10: MIDNIGHT IN PARIS

2011-11-21T15:03:00.001+13:00

Woody Allen is a director who, though prolific, has his ups and downs. I've yet to catch myself up on the vast majority of his filmography (part of my on-going "Catch-up classics") but of those films of his I have seen, my overall opinion tends to be pretty binary. When his 2005 thriller Match Point was released, there was a select retrospective of his films at the cinema I was working at. I

24.10: REAL STEEL

2011-11-21T15:01:00.001+13:00

From Warrior to Real Steel... both ostensibly sports films, but both very, very different approaches. Where Warrior strove for a more grounded (though still heightened) world, Real Steel features boxing robots. However, in a further congruence both films have a surprisingly effective emotional core and both feature broken families, with an emphasis on flawed father figures.In Real Steel that

07.10: WARRIOR

2011-11-16T14:20:00.001+13:00

Warrior: man on man action One of those sports films I was talking about with Moneyball, Warrior is a film that unashamedly goes for the big emotions and grand gestures. It could almost be written off as a high gloss, high concept B-movie, but it's pulled off with such deft aplomb you cannot help but get sucked into the tale of familial melodrama.. and kickboxing. Joel Edgerton and Tom

06.10: MONEYBALL

2011-11-16T10:35:00.000+13:00

I’m not much of a one for baseball (or, heck, any sports). I don’t profess or even pretend to know what the hell it’s all about. Through pop cultural osmosis I have learned some of the basics: loaded bases, home runs, the outfield (with or without angels) and beer & hotdogs. But the actual structure of the game, how it all actually works, eludes me. Not that that stands in the way of me enjoying

05.10: THE LION KING (3D)

2011-11-07T14:34:00.000+13:00

While in LA on my way back home from Austin, not only was I lucky enough to catch the re-release of Disney's animated classic The Lion King, I had the extreme good fortune of seeing it at the El Capitan cinema in Hollywood. El Capitan is the cinema owned directly by Disney, specifically to play Disney movies. It is a grand cinema, looking more like an opera house with its box seats, balcony

01.10: 50/50

2011-11-04T13:54:00.000+13:00

50/50 (formerly titled I'm With Cancer) is an emotional, hilarious and true story, based on screenwriter Will Reiser's time with cancer. Reiser wrote (and Rogen produced) 50/50 as there was the feeling that there was no "cancer film" that actually spoke to the experience of Reiser and his friends. Thus was born the dramatic comedy about cancer! Joseph Gordon-Levitt is Adam, the Reiser

HAPPY DIA DE LOS MUERTOS!

2011-11-01T21:57:00.000+13:00

Just a quick sketch in biro - the red mess down the bottom is meant to be a bunching of flowers but I've never actually drawn a rose before so... Yeah, anyway, hope y'all had a great Halloween/Dia de los Muertos watching some scary movies/dressing up/drinking/eating candy!

01.10: DETECTIVE DEE AND THE MYSTERY OF THE PHANTOM FLAME

2011-10-28T22:51:00.001+13:00

Expectations can be funny things, can't they? I've been disappointed by films that promised more than they could deliver, and I've been pleasantly surprised by films that knock it so far out of the park your eyes water. Often though, it can be best to approach a film with little to no expectations at all; just opening yourself up to whatever cinematic delights may be presented to you.However,

19.09: CONTAGION

2011-10-28T22:41:00.000+13:00

Steven Soderbergh is one of those directors I am endlessly fascinated with; he flows between genres as if it ain't no thing: from sex, lies and videotape to Schizopolis to Out of Sight to Traffic to Erin Brokovich to Bubble to Ocean's Eleven to The Girlfriend Experience to Che to Solaris to The Informant! to Contagion. And that's not even half of the films he's directed but already you've got

19.09: ATTACK THE BLOCK

2011-10-23T16:40:00.001+13:00

Alternate poster by Deadlydelmundo via the Posterocalypse tumblr Joe Cornish's Attack the Block is a film I have been reading a lot about over the course of the year - it has been playing many film festivals overseas, enjoying a gradual release across the United States and had great word of mouth spread through the blogosphere. When I was recently in the States, I was lucky enough to catch

13.09: HANNA

2011-10-20T15:01:00.000+13:00

An ace alternate poster by UK artist Jock Joe Wright, it seems, is not a director that will do what people expect. This is the man who has previously brought us two English period dramas (one an Austen adaptation!) and a true-life tale about a mentally-broken musician. Now, with Hanna, he gives us an art-house thriller; the espionage film as music-video; Bourne as a not-so-sweet 16 year-old

X-MEN: FIRST CLASS: SEQUEL THOUGHTS

2011-10-19T18:17:00.000+13:00

I'll be the first to admit that this post is little more than a bit of fan wank, but X-Men: First Class was one of the better comic-book movies this year and, with the recent DVD/Blu-Ray release I wanted to get some thoughts down on any possible sequel. It should be noted that the studio behind the X-Men films, Fox, have not stated whether they will be going ahead with a sequel to the

06.09: THE GUARD

2011-10-19T12:56:00.003+13:00

The Guard sets the tone for what is to follow in the opening moments: a car-load of hopped up, obnoxious kids tears through the rugged Irish countryside before crashing and killing all inside. When the local guard (read: copper) Sergeant Gerry Boyle, played with aplomb by Brendan Gleeson, happens along he cheerfully lambasts the expired occupants before nipping a tab of E from one of the bodies

05.09: SANSHO THE BAILIFF (SANSHO DAYU)

2011-10-17T17:34:00.000+13:00

Ok, so, yeah. It's been some time since I caught this film at a Film Society screening but I did have other pressing business to attend to. Set in medieval Japan, a local governor is set into exile for standing up for his people. His family is forced out of the house and his wife and children set out to cross the country to reunite with him. However, they're set upon by slavers with the son

04.09: RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES

2011-10-10T13:12:00.000+13:00