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.
Film Review: Demon Slayer: Mugen Train
With its immediately captivating and brilliantly paced storyline, bolstered by established, fleshed-out characters and exceptional voice-acting, Demon Slayer: Mugen Train is an absolute dream for fans of anime and the Demon Slayer series, while remaining accessible and wildly entertaining for newcomers to the series or genre.
Film Review: Wrong Turn (2021)
Wrong Turn stars Charlotte Vega, Matthew Modine, and Bill Sage in a bloody, brutal, and primal societal slugfest, proving over its 109-minute runtime that there’s still fresh horror in a familiar, forgotten franchise.
Film Review: Penguin Bloom Dir: Glendyn Ivin
Starring Naomi Watts, Andrew Lincoln, Jacki Weaver, Rachel House Warning! This Australian film has all the trappings of a disease/movie of the week…a paralyzed mum, three young children, a benign dad and a bird. Fortunately the mum is played by Naomi Watts and that magpie can really act!
Film Review: Dawn Raid Director: Oscar Kightley
Featuring the music of: Adeaze, Aaradhna, Savage, Mareko, Deceptikonz The documentary of Dawn Raid Entertainment is at its heart the story of Andy Murnane and Danny “Brother D” Leaosavai’i who met at a business college and went on to found a successful Hip-Hop music production and clothing business in 1999 in Papatoetoe, South Auckland.
Film Review: The People Upstairs Dir: Cesc Gay
Starring: Belén Custa, Javier Cámara, Alberto San Juan, Griselda Siciliani (Spanish with English subtitles) Two middle class couples find plenty to bicker about until one comes up with a potentially indecent proposal.
Film Review: The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend A Broken Heart Dir: Frank Marshall
The title says it all. Out of the dozens of hits The Bee Gees racked up over the years, 1971’s How Can You Mend A Broken Heart captures the mood of this otherwise pedestrian documentary as sole surviving Gibb brother Barry remembers his three fallen brothers.
Film Review: The Dry Dir: Robert Connolly
Starring: Eric Bana, Genevieve O’Reilly, Keir O’Donnell Perhaps not the feel-good film folks may be looking for to start the new year with…The Dry brings us a world of dust, death, deceit and disillusion.
Film Review: Dreamland Dir: Miles Joris-Peyrafitte
Starring: Margot Robbie, Finn Cole, Travis Fimmel Back to the future with this Depression-era crime drama firmly set well within the world of Bonnie & Clyde.
Film Review: Amundsen Dir: Espen Sandberg
Starring: Pål Sverre Hagen, Katherine Waterston, Christian Rubeck At the turn of the twentieth century Roald Amundsen (played by Pål Sverre Hagen) appreciated the risks of extreme weather conditions in the polar regions, and how the region’s indigenous peoples survived such conditions.