Film Review: Collective Dir: Alexander Nanau (DocPlay)
Nominated for two Academy Awards, Collective is available to stream from today on DocPlay.
Film Review: Deliver Us From Evil Dir: Hong Won-chan
A thrilling, violent, and sometimes tender film, Deliver Us From Evil is a story of innocence; how it is lost and given away, and what we will do to protect it within those we love. Starring: Hwang Jung-min, Lee Jung-jae, Park Jung-min, Choi Hee-seo, Park So-yi, Song Young-chang, Lee Seo-hwan
Film Review: The Conjuring 3 – The Devil Made Me Do It
The Conjuring 3 – The third film in The Conjuring core series discards the simple claustrophobic basements of ‘70s and ‘80s America for grander sets and story, but fails to execute on its many tension-building threads throughout. Starring: Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Ruairi O’Connor, Sarah Catherine Hook, Julian Hilliard, John Noble, Eugenie Bondurant
Film Review: Lapsis Directed by Noah Hutton
Sandwiched somewhere between the best and worst of Black Mirror and the terrifyingly prophetic Idiocracy, the grim satire of Lapsis works well, elevating a low-budget premise into a performance-driven sci-fi mystery.
Film Review: A Quiet Place Part II Dir: John Krasinski
Starring: Emily Blunt, Cillian Murphy, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe, Djimon Hounsou, Scoot McNairy, John Krasinski A Quiet Place Part II is a masterpiece of cinematic dread, complementing and expanding on both the themes and narrative of the original film, while striking a near-impossible balance between fresh stories and new perspectives on the horror we already […]
Watch: 13th Floor MovieTalk: Conor & Jake Allyn of No Man’s Land
With the feature film No Man’s Land opening in cinemas on Thursday here are brothers Conor and Jake Allyn, director and actor/screenwriter of this powerful film.
Movie Review: Son of The South Directed by Barry Alexander Brown
Son of The South opens with a limp-footed, bloodied Bob Zellner (Lucas Till) dragged toward a noose while he summarises the climate of racial hatred in 1960s Alabama through an emotionless voiceover.
Movie Review: Spiral Director: Darren Lynn Bousman
Spiral brings something different to the Saw franchise than the usual death-game twist-a-roo trickery, but the resulting film is a failed copycat attempt at playing copycat itself.
Movie Review: Those Who Wish Me Dead
Those Who Wish Me Dead is three action films for the price of one, but the forest-fire ultimate survivor narrative quickly stretches the width of an ocean with the depth of a puddle.
Film Review: Nasrin Directed by Jeff Kaufman
Amnesty International hosted the New Zealand premiere of NASRIN at Sky City Theatre, a documentary that presents an intimate and moving depiction of one woman’s efforts to protect human rights and promote equality for all within Iran.
Watch: Florian Habicht Tells all About James & Isey
Kiwi filmmaker Florian Habicht’s new film, James & Isey opens in New Zealand cinemas on May 6th. Florian stopped by The 13th Floor Studio to tell us all about it.
Movie Review: Wrath of Man Directed by Guy Ritchie
Wrath of Man, the latest thriller from director Guy Ritchie, starring the never-emotive Jason Statham, delivers a delightful two solid hours of heists, retribution and a daunting body count.
Film Review: First Cow – Director: Kelly Reichardt
First Cow – America in the early nineteenth century and the Land of Opportunity seems wide open and promising for two young men who bond in a moment of danger and adversity. They strike upon an unlikely path to wealth but there is always a sense that somehow fate won’t allow it.
Film Review: Sound Of Metal Dir: Darius Marder
Starring: Riz Ahmed, Olivia Cooke, Paul Raci Nominated for 6 Academy Awards and winner of 2, Sound Of Metal’s message should resonate with anyone who spends a good portion of their free time standing in front of a PA blasting live music for hours at a time.
Film Review: The United States vs Billie Holiday Dir: Lee Daniels
The story of Billie Holiday, arguably the finest vocalist of the 20th century, is a sad story that seems to resonate even more powerfully in this age of Black Lives Matter and the recent high-profile police killings in the US. Starring Andrea Day, Trevante Rhodes, Leslie Jordan, Tyler James
Film Review: Collective – Director: Alexander Nanau
Collective is a deep dive into the Romanian hospital healthcare system by investigative journalists which leads to a heart of darkness. One of the most enthralling and unsettling documentaries I have seen in recent years. The conspiracy it exposes also shines a glimmer of light onto the wider aspect of European healthcare systems as they […]
Film Review: Cosmic Sin, Directed by Edward Drake
Cosmic Sin, somehow starring Bruce Willis and Frank Grillo, is the worst film I’ve ever reviewed, an 85-minute cure for insomnia posing as a sci-fi action film that dabbles in time dilation only in that it somehow feels like it took more than three lifetimes to watch.
Movie Review: Cousins, Directed by Ainsley Gardiner and Briar Grace Smith
Intensely sad, but sublimely beautiful, Cousins is a story of the psychological trauma to human life and community wrought by colonisation in Aotearoa.
Film Review: Boss Level, Directed by Joe Carnahan
Boss Level is a guilty delight of madness and adrenaline from director Joe Carnahan, spraying commentary and humour alongside its thousands of bullets and fountains of blood, while providing a unique and truly enjoyable twist on traditional action films.
Film Review: Supernova Dir: Harry Macqueen
Supernova is a powerful examination of human mortality from director Harry Macqueen, contrasting the long-lasting beauty of nature with the frailty of the human body and the love required to endure our acceptance of inevitability.