NZIFF Reviews - The Deadly Ponies Gang, The East and Magic, Magic

NZIFF Reviews - The Deadly Ponies Gang, The East and Magic, Magic

With the final days of the festival dawning in Auckland, you could be forgiven for thinking the films have run out of steam.
Well, you'd be wrong - and there are some real beauties lined up waiting in the wings as we head towards closing night.

One of those is local doco / mockumentary, The Deadly Ponies Gang, a real blast of Kiwi fresh air.

Centring on best buddies Clint and Dwayne, who live in the fringes of West Auckland and who get around on horses (cos they're quick-er than cars as one remarks), it's the best ode to bromance I've seen in years.
Decking out their horses with bling and rolling like wannabe gangsters in places, Clint philosophizes and drops his way of life through the screen and a captive audience.

Director Zoe Mcintosh borders on parody with this duo but just manages to keep it on the right side of extremely humourous and totally heartfelt. The thing is that Clint and Dwayne are such larger than life characters, whether they're chasing chickens to tag or putting together a trophy with a glue gun to woo a potential girlfriend, they're pure cinema doco gold.
Add into the mix, a young kid Kody who's desperately trying to get into the gang (and who pimps his horse with a cardboard cut out car) and you've got all walks of life here.

When Clint announces that he's going to do a fundraiser to help his mate Dwayne get some teeth, it's perfectly in keeping with what's gone on before. Larrikins and proud Westies they may be, but they're nothing short of compelling doco subjects.

Zoe's film proffers up such belly laughs as we probe into their psyche but it's never anything more than a heartfelt salute to the colourful characters which inhabit the outer edges of Auckland - it's a riotous time at the movies and I really hope it gets a run after the festival, because there's a warmth and humanity in The Deadly Ponies Gang which is contagious and touching.

Plus, it's got teeth. Literally.

The East sees indie darling Brit Marling re-teaming with director Zal Batmanglij, with whom she did The Sound of My Voice.

Marling plays an undercover investigator working for a security firm, who infiltrates an eco-terrorist group, The East, who have a way of exacting vengeance on those they believe who've wronged others. From a company who they believe has been poisoning the water, to a more personal revenge quest, The East is believed to be a real threat. Head of the group is Alexander Skarsgaard's Benji, who's trying to keep the group focussed on their overall goal; but when Ellen Page's scratchy Izzy goes off track, things start to go a little haywire.

The early set up and premise is intriguing enough, and is slickly put together but when Marling's investigator reveals to one of the group she's undercover, the flaws start to show and the highly implausible starts to distractingly set in. It's a shame because The East is a polished piece, with another impressive performance from Marling; the ethical discussions and subtexts are interesting but the forcing you to suspend your disbelief one time too many takes you out of the thriller's overall feeling. Exec-produced by Ridley Scott and Tony Scott should give some indication of how upmarket this thriller's gone, but overall, while The East has a slickly engaging start, it soon unfortunately loses its way and becomes generic eco-terrorist thriller with little surprises left to reveal.

Chilean thriller Magic, Magic may have an impressive cast (Juno Temple and Michael Cera) but its overall feeling is one of muddled mayhem and a mystery which doesn't proffer any solution or clues to hang onto.

Temple plays Alicia, a young woman, who ends up on a rural retreat with a group of people she doesn't know when her cousin is forced to head away from the group. A lack of sleep after the flight to Chile means that Alicia's already disorientated and after prolonged exposure to the sound of squawking birds and Michael Cera's slightly off beat Brink, she loses the plot quite effectively.

As madness and psychosis sets into this nightmarish potboiler, the film loses its grip on what exactly is going on - offering up no idea as to why Alicia's descended so violently at the end and why voodoo's needed, it feels as if the film is being obtuse simply for the sake of it, rather than adding to the claustrophobic feel of mystery.

Don't forget as well - extra sessions of some of the NZFF films have been added in to the schedule for Auckland. Head to nzff.co.nz for more details.