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.
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.
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.
A Date For Mad Mary Dir: Darren Thornton
If you’re after a bit of craic at the NZ International Film Festival you won’t go wrong with A Date For Mad Mary, an expertly handled soulful rom-com.
It Comes At Night Dir: Trey Edward Shults
It’s the Walking Dread in this tightly focused post-apocalyptic survival movie; no zombies just Joel Edgerton out to protect his family at any cost.
The Workshop Dir: Laurent Cantet
Starring: Marina Fois and Matthieu Lucci Want your teenager out of their phone and into some current social debate? Then drag them along to this teen-centric thrilling war of words from the Palme d’Or winning director of The Class.
A Ghost Story Dir: David Lowery
Starring: Casey Affleck, Rooney Mara A Ghost Story has been described as a film people either love or hate. I beg to differ. I viewed the screening at Auckland’s Civic Theatre about 12 hours ago and I am still trying to decide how I feel about it.
BANG! The Bert Berns Story Dir: Brett Berns, Bob Sarles
At the risk of sounding hyperbolic and clichéd…if you see one music doco at this year’s NZ Film Festival, make sure it’s Bang! The Bert Berns Story.
The Merciless Dir: Byun Sung-hyun
Get a taste of slick South Korean hardboiled pulp with this ultraviolent tale of betrayal that could tear a ruthless gang apart.
Hampstead, Director: Joel Hopkins
Diane Keaton is radiant in this charming little “late life” rom-com, opposite an eccentric Brendan Gleeson. She plays a recently widowed American, living in a slightly rundown but elegant apartment on the outskirts of Hampstead in North London. At loose ends after a lifetime of being a wife and mother, she is wondering how she […]
Columbus Dir: Kogonada
Love, loss, hope and architecture are explored in this measured and moving debut film from a remarkable new talent.
Wind River Dir: Taylor Sheridan
Starring: Jeremy Renner, Elizabeth Olsen, Gil Birmingham, Graham Greene Oscar-nominated (Hell Or High Water) screenplay writer Taylor Sheridan moves into the director’s chair for the first time. The result is a bleak, who-done-it set in the blizzard-ridden Rocky Mountains of Wyoming.
Dina Dir: Antonio Santini, Dan Sickles
Sexual frustration in your late forties isn’t fun, especially when you’re both on the autism spectrum, but this Sundance crowd-pleaser is sure to push all the right buttons for a Kiwi crowd.
Spookers Dir: Florian Habicht
Horror theme park Spookers might be the stuff of nightmares, but Florian Habicht’s surreal look at the scare factory makes for a dream doco – life affirming and funny as hell.
The Party Dir: Sally Potter
Starring: Kristin Scott Thomas, Timothy Spall, Patricia Clarkson, Emily Mortimer, Cillian Murphy, Cherry Jones, Bruno Ganz Oh what fun! The Party is a delicious British black comedy that owes a serious debt to Mike Nichols’ classic Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?
Hostages Dir: Rezo Gigineishvili
Starring: Irakli Kvirikadze, Tina Dalakishvili This true-life story of a group of idealistic young people determined to escape the suffocating oppression of Georgia under the Soviet Union is an action-thriller of the first order.
My Life As A Courgette Dir: Claude Barras
Who would have thought an Oscar-nominated hit would be the perfect place for sex education? My Life As A Courgette is the one-stop-motion shop for dealing with tricky emotional issues and exploding penises.
Patti Cake$ Dir: Geremy Jasper
Starring: Danielle MacDonald, McCaul Lombardi Forget about your mum’s spaghetti, Patti Cake$ is a funnier and more heartfelt rap-to-riches tale thanks to it’s big, bad-ass breakout star.
The Square Dir: Ruben Ostlund
Starring: Claes Bang, Elisabeth Moss, Dominic West, Terry Notary The New Zealand International Film Festival kicked off its 2017 season with exactly the type of film one wants to be exposed to. The Square is a sprawling, sometimes incoherent, often-times thought-provoking piece of filmmaking that almost demands to be seen.