6 Days Dir: Toa Fraser
A Kiwi take on one of Britain’s most iconic events of the 20th century, this action-thriller starring Jamie Bell is a gripping account of the real-life siege.
Aaron Carpenter & The Revelators – Tuning Fork August 4, 2017
Crossing over from Waiheke Island, Aaron Carpenter and his Revelators celebrated the release of their first long player, Pretty Lies, with a show at Auckland’s Tuning Fork.
Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked The World Dir: Catherine Bainbridge & Alfonso Maiorana (NZIFF)
Here’s a well-intentioned, ambitious music documentary determined to shine a light on the influence of Native Americans in the history of rock & roll. Its scatter-shot approach hits as many targets as it misses.
Good Time Dir: Ben & Josh Safdie
Electric New York filmmakers the Safdie brothers rob us blind with this heist movie gone wrong, thanks to an illicitly good performance from Robert Pattinson.
Mountain Dir: Jennifer Peedom (NZIFF)
Mountain junkies, classical music lovers and Willem Dafoe fans are all in for a treat, with this enthralling look at what makes mountains move us.
KHALID American Teen Tour Brings New Zealand Debut
WEDNESDAY AUGUST 2, 2017 – KHALID, the 19-year-old singer/songwriter from El Paso, Texas, announces his very first tour of New Zealand as part of his American Teen Tour this November. The melodious artist will play Auckland Town Hall in support of his debut record, American Teen.
Ben Folds Announces One New Zealand Show In February 2018
Lauded singer-songwriter and piano-pop maverick, BEN FOLDS, today announces he will return to Australasia in 2018 to take in six theatre dates around Australia before heading to New Zealand to perform one Auckland show on Monday 19th February at the Powerstation.
Justin Hayward: The 13th Floor Interview
Justin Hayward has been fronting The Moody Blues since 1967 when they abandoned their early r&b sound and created something completely new with Days Of Future Passed. Since then, the band has amassed an incredible legacy of work including iconic albums such as A Question Of Balance, Seventh Sojourn and In Search Of The Lost […]
Bill Frisell: A Portrait Dir: Emma Franz
A few days ago I nominated BANG! The Bern Berns Story as the best music documentary at this year’s film festival (read review here). After watching Bill Frisell: A Portrait, I must say that it comes in as a close second.
Bridge Burner – Audio Foundation July 29, 2017
This one is a freebie in more ways than one. As with all other performers at 95bFM’s bStreet Festival, Bridge Burner’s set was free entry. This review is also “free.” I didn’t arrange it with 13th Floor beforehand, I was at the gig in no role except a metal fan who liked Bridge Burner’s debut […]
Happy End Dir: Michael Haneke
Starring: Isabelle Huppert, Jean-louis Trintignant, Toby Jones Austrian filmmaker Michael Haneke serves up a French-language black comedy featuring a dysfunctional family, observations on social media, euthanasia, European class structure and immigration and video surveillance in the age of the smart phone. Unfortunately, the end result of all this is less than the sum of […]
My Year with Helen, Director: Gaylene Preston
My Year with Helen takes an in-depth look at former Prime Minister Helen Clark’s bid for Secretary General, the top job at UN, where she has headed up the Development Programme for six years. For those who have followed Aunty Helen’s impressive career trajectory, it’s a warm and personal step into both her personal and […]
To Stay Alive: A Method – Dir: Erik Lieshout, Arno Hagars & Renier van Brummelen (NZIFF)
“A dead poet does not write”. Iggy Pop reads the words of Michel Houellecq in this film that addresses the issue of struggling artists and their mental health.
Steve Hackett – Auckland Town Hall July 28, 2017
Former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett brought his “Genesis Revisited” show to Auckland last night. Incredibly, after over 40 years and countless albums, this was Hackett’s first foray into New Zealand.
Check Out Gin Wigmore’s New Single!
Gin Wigmore releases a new single (and video) today. Here’s the word from Universal Music:
Beatriz At Dinner Dir: Miguel Arteta
Starring: Salma Hayek, John Lithgow, Connie Britton At first, Beatriz At Dinner comes across as an American counterpoint to Sally Potter’s very English and very black comedy The Party (reviewed here) and also playing at this year’s film festival.
August Burns Red Announces New Album & Releases Music Video For “Invisible Enemy”
August Burns Red is back with the announcement of new album Phantom Anthem, the follow-up to 2015’s Found In Far Away Places that took the band to new heights and earned them a GRAMMY nomination. The Lancaster, PA five-piece teamed up with Sirius XM Liquid Metal to premiere new track “Invisible Enemy” and have released the imaginative new […]
Tony Conrad: Completely In The Present Dir: Tyler Hubby (NZIFF)
You may be aware of Tony Conrad’s contribution to music and his association with The Velvet Underground, but this lively, entertaining look at the late experimental artist reveals that there was much more to Conrad besides the drone.
The Free Man Dir: Toa Fraser
Feeling a bit over day-to-day monotony? If you can handle the dizzying spectacle, Jossi Wells and his newfound French friends might set you free.
Roots, Radicals and Rockers: How Skiffle Changed the World – Billy Bragg (Faber)
Roots, Radicals and Rockers: How Skiffle Changed the World – by Billy Bragg / Faber and Faber $45 Told with joyous vigour, this book tells the story of jazz pilgrims and blues blowers, Teddy Boys and beatnik girls, coffee-bar bohemians and refugees from the McCarthy witch-hunts. Billy Bragg traces how the guitar came to the […]