NZIFF 51: Celebration, Directed by Olivier Meyrou
In 1998, French filmmaker Olivier Meyrou worked alongside Yves Saint-Laurent and Pierre Bergé, capturing the working dynamic of the pair in an intimate and often unsettling documentary. Two decades following completion of filming, and with its release suppressed by Bergé until 2015, Celebration is a raw depiction of a great artist in his twilight years. […]
NZIFF 51 Film Review: Les Misérables, Directed by Ladj Ly
Inspired by the Paris suburb riots of 2005, Les Misérables captures the cynicism, indifference, and desperate humanity of three anti-crime unit officers patrolling the streets of Paris, in a relentlessly tense and unsettling film by first-time feature director Ladj Ly. Oxford Lamoureaux reviews for The 13th Floor.
NZIFF 51: Ruben Brandt, Collector – Directed by Milorad Krstic
A wildly inventive ride, Ruben Brandt, Collector, directed by Milorad Krstic, is one of the best heist movies – live action or animated – this decade and demands to be seen on the big screen. Clayton Barnett reviews it for The 13th Floor.
NZIFF 51 – Film Review: La Belle Époque
La Belle Époque seemed the perfect choice for opening night at the 51st New Zealand International Film Festival, delivering a remarkable ensemble cast and razor-sharp comedic writing to a packed and joyous Civic Theatre crowd.
Interview: Guitar-Maker Rick Kelly on ‘Carmine Street Guitars’
Carmine Street Guitars is director Ron Mann’s documentary examining an ‘ordinary’ week in the life of old-school guitar maker Rick Kelly and his Greenwich Village workshop with its devoted clientele of rock royalty. Marty Duda got on the phone to Rick Kelly and his assistant Cindy Hulej, who also builds guitars – to talk about […]
Watch: Director Justin Pemberton Discusses ‘Capital in the 21st Century’
Kiwi director Justin Pemberton dropped in to The 13th Floor to talk about his new film, Capitalism in the 21st Century, which is premiering at the New Zealand International Film Festival.
Masterclass with Thom Zimny at NZIFF 2019
Award-winning film director Thom Zimny (The Gift: The Journey of Johnny Cash) will lead a Masterclass for filmmakers in Auckland as part of NZIFF 2019.
Film Review: Crawl, Directed by Alexandra Aja
Crawl is an absolute must-watch for fans of creature horror. Those fond of director Alexandra Aja’s previous work and the predatory unease of Jaws and Rogue will find plenty to delight in and hide from.
Film Review: Rory’s Way Directors: Mihal Brezis, Oded Binnun
Rory’s Way, also known as The Estrucan Smile, features Brian Cox as Rory, a perpetually growling but lovable rogue of a Scotsman who spends his days whittling wooden creatures and verbally sparring with an old nemesis in the local pub over which of them will die first.
Film Review: Yesterday Dir: Danny Boyle
Imagine there’s no Beatles, I wonder if you could. Director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire) has teamed up with Screenplay writer Richard Curtis (Notting Hill, Love Actually), to create a world that many music lovers would consider unthinkable. Starring: Himesh Patel, Lily James, Ed Sheeran, Kate McKinnon
Film Review: Spider-Man: Far From Home
Spider-Man: Far From Home is the sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming and the twenty-third film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe – it could also be the best Spider-Man film we’ve ever had. Dir: Jon Watts Starring: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jon Favreau, Jake Gyllenhaal, Jacob Batalon, Samuel L. Jackson, Angourie Rice, Marisa Tomei.
NZIFF 2019 Auckland Programme Launched
The full programme for the 51st New Zealand International Film Festival has been revealed in Auckland. 144 feature-length films from 45 countries will screen over 18 days beginning on Thursday 18 July.
Film Review: Annabelle Comes Home – Director, Gary Dauberman
Annabelle Comes Home is the sequel to 2014’s Annabelle and 2017’s Annabelle: Creation, and the seventh installment in the Conjuring Universe franchise. Oxford Lamoureaux reviews this latest outing.
Films Fresh From Cannes Announced for NZIFF
Twenty-five films direct from the Cannes Film Festival are confirmed to screen at NZIFF 2019. Eight come from the Competition section of the festival including Jury Prize winners (tied) Les Misérables and Bacurau. NZIFF’s 2019 Cannes selections also feature Portrait of a Lady on Fire, the winner of both the Queer Palm (Feature) and Best Screenplay; as well as Elia […]
NZIFF Announces Thirteen New Zealand Film Premieres
Thirteen feature-length New Zealand films will screen at the New Zealand International Film Festival (NZIFF) in 2019. Nine films will have their world premieres in the programme, including the previously announced documentary A Seat at the Table.
Movie Review: Anna, Directed by Luc Besson
Able to disembowel bodyguards twice her size with broken dinner plates, blonde bombshell Anna (Sasha Luss) is a down and out druggie with an abusive boyfriend turned Russian KGB assassin posing as a fashion model. Anna is an unequivocally excellent marksman at short range. Runway model in stature, but with kicking power that can send […]
NZIFF announces film retrospective Vive la Varda!
The New Zealand International Film Festival (NZIFF) presents a retrospective celebrating the life and work of French New Wave filmmaking pioneer Agnès Varda. Varda’s experimental features are seminal works of feminist cinema, French New Wave and neorealist filmmaking.
Film Review: Parasite (Korean: Gisaengchung) Dir: Bong Joon-Ho
Starring: Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Choi Woo-shik, Park So-dam, Jang Hye-jin, Lee Jung-eun, Jung Ziso. Parasite is the seventh feature film from the acclaimed Bong Joon-Ho, following on from Barking Dogs Never Bite (2000), Memories of Murder (2003), The Host (2006), Mother (2009), Snowpiercer (2013), and Okja (2017).
Film Review: Martin Scorsese’s New Dylan Film Is Both A Mess And A Lie!
Netflix premiered director Martin Scorsese’s new Dylan “documentary” based on 1975’s Rolling Thunder Revue. Here’s what The 13th Floor’s Marty Duda think about it.
Film Review: X-Men: Dark Phoenix Dir: Simon Kinberg
Starring: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Sophie Turner, Jennifer Lawrence Running just short of two hours, X-Men: Dark Phoenix is an awkward, painful, and unnecessary mess that fails both as a comic-book adaptation, and an entertaining superhero film.