Film Review: 1982 (NZIFF 2020)
Director Oualid Mouness weaves a well-crafted story with 1982, drawing excellent performances from its young cast. Set on the outskirts of Beirut, their lives and the surrounding countryside seem so peaceful and predictable. But as civil war erupts in the world around them, adolescence further topples their world with perils of its own. Director: Oualid […]
Mika X’s “GURL” wins Audience Choice for Ngā Whanaunga Māori Pasifika Shorts (NZIFF 2020)
Whānau Mārama: New Zealand International Film Festival has announced the winners of the Audience Choice awards for New Zealand’s Best and Ngā Whanaunga Māori Pasifika Shorts. The award winners were announced during the Live Online Closing Event. The winner of the Ngā Whanaunga CineMāori Audience Award is Gurl. Director Mika X receives the $1,000 cash […]
Film Review: Girl on the Bridge (NZIFF 2020)
“They’re your friends, they’re your family, they’re your colleagues, they’re your neighbours,” states Jazz Thornton, referring to those suffering to a point in which they have given up on life. The Girl on the Bridge, a NZ documentary directed by Leanne Pooley, follows Jazz as she puts together a web series inspired by the story […]
Film Review: Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band (NZIFF 2020)
Well, they might have once been brothers, but they ended up as warriors. Anyone who knows the basic details of the history of The Band, knows that a film about them, based on one bandmember’s book, is going to wind up being somewhat one-sided. In this case, it’s Robbie Robertson’s singular take on things. Director: […]
Movie Review: Relic (NZIFF 2020)
Relic is often as infuriating as it is terrifying, with exquisite set pieces and visuals flattened by inconsistency and an original, horrifying story left hanging in the land of potential through a weak, forgettable script.
13th Floor Interview: Keegan Allen Star of Follow Me
One post-Covid film that is generating a heap of attention is the horror/thriller Follow Me. Actor Keegan Allen (Pretty Little Liars) plays vlogger/influencer, Cole Turner, who is keen on taking his antics to the edge. He and his crew head to Moscow to see what they can drum up for their Escape Real Life vlog […]
Film Review: Corpus Christi (NZIFF)
Based on a true story, Corpus Christi is a Dostoyevskian tale of redemption filmed in a bleak realist style, at a careful pace but with a well-crafted build-up of suspense and anxiety as the movie progresses. Director: Jan Komasa Writer: Mateusz Pacewicz Starring: Bartosz Bielenia
Film Review: Paradise Drifters (NZIFF)
Paradise Drifters is a study of the physical and psychological impacts of homelessness on youth. Written and directed by Mees Peijnenburg, this Dutch film follows three such young adults as they cross paths.
Film Review: Vivos (NZIFF)
A mother looks out into the cornfields surrounding her home, the image of both strength and vulnerability, talking about the horrific grief that comes with losing a son during a student prank – without knowing what happened to him. Ai Weiwei, a contemporary artist and activist, directs Vivos, a visually stunning examination of how a […]
Film Review: Dinner in America (NZIFF)
A punk rock comedy drama, Dinner in America‘s cassettes, tape decks, combat boots and bomber jackets, drop us somewhere in the late 80s, with a couple of misfits, struggling to find their place in the world.
Film Review: Britt-Marie Was Here
Britt-Marie Was Here (Swedish: Britt-Marie var här) is a charming, pleasant Swedish drama film based on Fredrik Backman‘s 2014 novel of the same name, filled with moving and authentic performances throughout its 98-minute runtime. Dir: Tuva Novotny Starring: Pernilla August, Peter Haber, Anders Mossling, Malin Levanon, Vera Vitali, Olle Sarri
Film Review: The Truth (NZIFF)
The Truth seems to be a subject of some concern this Film Festival. After all, we’ve had the True History of The Kelly Gang, which wasn’t. And now, The Truth, is the story of a veteran actress (played by the incandescent Catherine Deneuve) who has just published her memoir, which is more fiction than fact.
Film Review: True History of The Kelly Gang (NZIFF)
True History of The Kelly Gang is definitely NOT as advertised as it is a very fictionalised account of the life and times of legendary Australian bush-ranger Ned Kelly. That said, it IS one eye-popping, wild tale of what might have been… in another universe…
Film Review: Heroic Losers (La Odisea De Los Giles) (NZIFF)
Heroic Losers (La Odisea De Los Giles) (2019), an Argentine heist comedy set in the early 2000s, tells the story of an endearing bunch of working-class pals that have their dream to own a cooperative stolen from them, and their tenacity to get it back. The film is based on the novel La Noche De […]
Film Review: Calm With Horses Dir: Nick Rowland
Starring: Cosmo Jarvis, Barry Keoghan, Niamh Algar, Ned Dennehy, Kiljan Moroney, David Wilmot. Calm with Horses is a bleak, explosive thriller with a broken heart, and the feature directorial debut of Nick Rowland.
Film Review: Bel Canto Dir: Paul Weitz
Starring: Julianne Moore, Ken Watanabe, Sebastian Koch, Christopher Lambert Is Bel Canto a hostage crisis film, a romance or a musical? Well, it’s a little of all three.
Film Review: The Vigil – Dir: Keith Thomas
Starring Dave Davis, Menashe Lustig, Lynn Cohen After premiering at the Toronto Film Festival last September, religious horror film, The Vigil, finally makes its theatrical debut here in New Zealand.
Film Review: The Burnt Orange Heresy – Dir: Giuseppe Capotondi (Sony Pictures)
Starring: Claes Bang, Elizabeth Debicki, Mick Jagger, Donald Sutherland Yes, that’s right, that’s Mick Jagger playing a sleazy art dealer in this drama/thriller film. And though Mick is pushing 77, he’s not the oldest cast member, that honour goes to 84 year old Donald Sutherland.
Someday Stories 2020: 6 Short Films by Young Filmmakers
Someday Stories 2020: Six new short films by young filmmakers will emerge post-lockdown. The collection of short sustainability-focused films that will form the fourth series of New Zealand’s Someday Stories, scheduled to be released at the end of this year, have been announced today.
From Arthouse to Your House: NZIFF At Home
The New Zealand International Film Festival (NZIFF) has announced its plans to present the 2020 programme in an online format. With COVID-19 restrictions in place and likely to continue for some months, cinemas and entertainment venues around the country are closed or will remain under stringent gathering and social distancing limitations. NZIFF, run by the […]