A Complete Unknown – Dir: James Mangold (13th Floor Film Review)
It’s finally here! James Mangold’s highly-anticipated Bob Dylan biopic opens in New Zealand cinemas today. So, was it worth the wait? In a word…yes.
Monster Summer – Dir: David Henrie (13th Floor Film Review)
Monster Summer brings a little witchcraft to Martha’s Vineyard and Mel Gibson along with it.
Nosferatu Dir: Robert Eggers (13th Floor Film Review)
American director Robert Eggers has stated that the “more you try to turn away from darkness, the more darkness is right against your back.” In Nosferatu, Eggers extraordinary resurrection of FW Murnau’s 1922 silent classic, darkness shines like the day. You cannot run or hide from it. You must succumb to the darkness.
Anora – Dir: Sean Baker (13th Floor Film Review)
Sean Baker’s Anora, which won the Palme D’or at Cannes, the first American film to do so since Terrence Malick’s Tree of Life, may remind audiences of Pretty Woman. But it’s more subversive and explicit take on the subject of sex work.
Conclave – Directed by: Edward Berger (13th Floor Film Review)
Conclave is a Devilishly Fun Papal Thriller. Elections in 2024 have been decisive and disappointing. Globally far-right parties have surged in popularity. The last-thing you might want to do is sit through a two hour pulse pounding procedural thriller.
Heretic – Dir: Scott Beck & Bryan Woods (13th Floor Film Review)
Heretic is a beautifully unsettling psychological horror film by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, one that relies on flawless performances, excruciating pacing, and razor-sharp writing to create an atmosphere of dread that crawls beneath your skin and permeates relentlessly throughout the 111-minute runtime.
Gladiator II – Dir: Ridley Scott (13th Floor Film Review)
Gladiator II: A Rehashed Sequel that’s Equally Empty and Epic.
Here and The Red: Two Horror (or Horrific) Films Open on Halloween
Two new films open on Halloween in New Zealand. The Red is a horror film about a giant zombie kangaroo while Here, made by many of the same folks who brought you Forrest Gump, is just horrible.
A Mistake Dir: Christine Jeffs (13th Floor Film Review)
Christine Jeffs returns after a 16-year hiatus with a thoughtful film that addresses accountability, responsibility, transparency, bureaucracy and humanity. And it was shot in Auckland!
Joker: Folie á Deux Dir: Todd Phillips (13th Floor Film Review)
The Joker is back! Despite intentions to the contrary, the 2019 film has a sequel. That’s what happens when a film makes over $1 billion. Everyone wants more.
Loading Docs Showcase: Season 10
This year marked the 10th anniversary of Loading Docs, an initiative dedicated to platforming emerging and established filmmakers from Aotearoa to produce resonant documentary shorts that challenge and inspire.
Megalopolis: A Fable – Dir: Francis Ford Coppola (13th Floor Film Review)
The question on everyone’s lips as we left Auckland’s IMAX cinema last night was…”what did we just see?”
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Dir: Tim Burton (13th Floor Film Review) ***
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice: A Mildly Amusing Pastiche
Thelma Dir: Josh Margolin (13th Floor Film Review)
93-year-old June Squibb sparkles in Thelma, a life-affirming comedy-action romp.
Midas Man – Dir: Joe A. Stephenson (13th Floor Film Review)
Post-Peter Jackson’s Get Back, interest in all things Beatle-related has certainly risen…not that it ever was floundering. So, what better time to release a film about the “5th Beatle”…manager Brian Epstein?
Blink Twice Dir: Zoë Kravitz: 13th Floor Film Review
Zoë Kravitz’s striking directorial debut, Blink Twice, is a must-watch #MeToo-inspired thriller.
The Substance – NZIFF Closing Night 13th Floor Film Review
The 13th Floor’s Shamin Yazdani has been busy sitting in the dark, catching as many NZIFF as she can including The Substance on Closing Night. Here is her review and a summary of what was good and not so good at the Film Festival.
Sasquatch Sunset – Dir: David & Nathan Zellner: NZIFF 13th Floor Film Review
Sasquatch Sunset is an absurdist feature dramedy that follows a family of sasquatches in their North American habitat over the span of a year. If you were to read the plot on paper, you would probably think the film is absolutely bonkers, but somehow it just works (despite the absence of dialogue!).
Alien Weaponry and Eno: 13th Floor NZIFF Report #4
This year’s Film Festival has been a goldmine for music fans with docos and dramas on everyone from Paul Simon to Ryuichi Sakamoto.
TRIFECTA: Problemista, Crossing, Head South: NZIFF 13th Floor Report #3
13th Floor coverage of the New Zealand International Film Festival continues. The 13th Floor’s Shamin Yazdani shares her thoughts on these three films: