First few New Zealand International Film festival titles unveiled

First few New Zealand International Film festival titles unveiled

It's nearly that time again with the long dark knights (sorry, erm, mean nights) drawing in...

And that can mean only one thing - The New Zealand International Film festival!

There's always a lot of secrecy around what's coming up but now, we've had some early confirmations of what's ahead.

Auckland's programme will be launched on June 27th after a launch the day before.

But, those crafty devils have unveiled a couple of early titles...

Marley

From director Kevin Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland).  Filled with insider tales to satisfy any true believer, and measured enough in its admiration of his unique power to make it essential viewing for the unconverted too, the long-awaited Marley (Bob Marley) is a masterful work of “authorised” biography. NZIFF is happy indeed to provide a fittingly giant screen for the New Zealand screenings. “Thoroughly researched and packed with phenomenal archival footage, it's a rousing tribute to a mesmerizing performer that forgoes blind hero worship…Onstage, Marley is transcendent, enraptured. The mood is mystical, never mellow. ” – Melissa Anderson, Village Voice“Marley is sure to become the definitive documentary on the much beloved King of reggae.” – Jordan Mintzer, Hollywood Reporter




Your Sister’s Sister

Writer/director Lynn Shelton follows her head-turning Humpday with another boundary-nudging relationship comedy.
In Your Sister’s Sister the emotional pivot is sibling rivalry. Straight Iris (Emily Blunt) and gay Hannah (Rosemarie DeWitt) are Seattle sisters with different, but equally unacknowledged, game plans for the same man, Jack (Mark Duplass).

It’s exactly a year since the death of his brother Tom, and Jack still feels he’s not coping. Iris, who was Tom’s ex, offers Jack the keys to her father’s island cabin (in the wooded paradise of Puget Sound) unaware perhaps that her sister is also there nursing a broken heart - and a plentiful supply of tequila.  Shelton delivers quick-witted banter, classic bedroom farce and a feel for authentic emotional dilemma with a pleasingly naturalistic touch. This film is great fun, and beautifully performed, with Duplass as the man in the middle underplaying his every blunder very deftly indeed.




Crazy Horse

“In the wonderful Crazy Horse, documentary filmmaking's greatest living master, Frederick Wiseman (La Danse, NZIFF2010), completes his trilogy on iconic French institutions…  sneaking into the private spaces of the legendary cabaret club the Crazy Horse. And in doing so, he's made the most entertaining film in his 40-plus-year career. Wiseman's dazzling romp follows ten amusing weeks of rehearsals and performances for the new show Désirs, staged by famed cinematographer Philippe Decouflé and a cast of memorably kooky characters who give it their all for art in the face of commercial restraints…Employing a wide array of gels, projections and effects (polka dots, leopard patterns), the eye-popping numbers at the Crazy Horse are drop-dead cinematic, at times approaching kaleidoscopic op art. Wiseman wisely lets scenes play out in long takes and the viewer's astonishment sinks in. He presents a sly analysis of how the Crazy Horse achieves the erotic without the vulgar and plays on the fantasies of the viewers, the dancers and the administration alike.” – Mark Peranson, Vancouver International Film Festival

Stay tuned to the blog - as soon as we hear any more titles, we'll let you know!

NZ International Film Festival runs:
Auckland, July 19 – August 5
Wellington, July 27 – August 12
Dunedin, July 27 – August 19
Christchurch, August 9 – 26
Further regional dates available at www.nzff.co.nz

David O'Doherty - Comedy Festival review

David O'Doherty - Comedy Festival review

It’s the first time in four years that Irish comedian David O’Doherty’s played a full show in Auckland – and to say the crowd is excited is massive understatement.

With gaffer tape spelling out his initials on the stage curtain, there was a decidedly lo-fi feel to the evening – but great expectations.

As the lights went down, a prolonged intro voiceover set the tone for the night – slightly rambling, utterly ludicrous and totally hilarious. 

Espousing such phrases as “Carpe D O’Diem” this Irish comedian is onto it from the moment it all kicks off.

He has a very simple plea as he plays the last date on his 3 month tour: “I hope you like it, that’s all”.

And by golly, David, we absolutely adored it.

Due to play only an hour and ending up nearing two hours, O’Doherty has a warmth of personality mixed in with a large dollop of insanity and some great story telling as he recounts how the show rose from the ashes of a doomed relationship.

Throw in some musical numbers on a very small keyboard, some pacing around the stage and some frankly hilarious observations and really, you’ve got one of the top shows of the festival.

His show takes in getting older, tackling fears, nostalgia, some terrifying visuals about how he copes with a break up (hint it involves video games, pants and pizza in a room with curtains drawn) and reaching outlandish conclusions about the very simple things in life.

O’Doherty has a quirkiness which renders him totally affable and a humility which is utterly engaging; he’s also got some of the smartest song lyrics I’ve heard this year which have a poignancy as well as an absurdly killer punchline. One section sees him dispensing tips for satisfying your lady and it’s at this point, everyone is in fits of laughter – such is O’Doherty’s hit rate you can’t help but lose your lunch laughing.

After realising, he’s gone a bit long, he cries that “From now on, it’s all killer, no filler” before telling us “Watch out, New Zealand, you’re about to get it in the North Island” and then finishes with a superbly brilliant rendition of his complaints song “My Beefs”.

A brief encore sees him back and when it ends, there really is the feeling he could have gone on all night. O’Doherty is a master craftsman, a raucous raconteur, a wordsmith of whimsy and a showman of utter style.

Please don’t leave it four years to come back again.

Watch David O'Doherty playing My Beefs 2011 here..

Urzila Carlson - comedy Festival review

Urzila Carlson - comedy Festival review

Nominated for a Billy T Award last year and missing out to Rhys Mathewson clearly hasn't done South African stand up Urzila Carlson any harm whatsoever.

Her 2012 show "I'm Going to Need a Second Opinion" has sold out its run and she's been widely praised for her performance in the Comedy Gala this year, as well as on the circuit for the amount of hard gigging she's doing. Hell, she's even performing her show in South African as well....

And it's no surprise - she exudes confidence, swagger and presence on stage, right from her very intro, she manages to set the crowd at ease. It's a rare talent to have everyone eating out of the palm of your hand from the beginning, but Urzila's mastered it.

I think it's Urzila's honesty and openness that makes her such an appealing proposition on stage; sure, the set's peppered with some pretty racy moments and near the knuckle comments, but by using her own self deprecation and a sly nod and wink to the audience as she dispatches this stuff, she makes you feel part of the experience rather than simply being spoken to for an hour.

She's also incredibly quick witted and ready to react to what the audience throws her way. I'm not talking heckling (goodness knows there seems to be less of this at the festival this year) but if they react to a comment or answer a question in that traditionally Kiwi reluctant way, she's ready to make that part of her repartie. For example, she tells us she's quit smoking for three months now and the audience barely offers up any support; without hesitation, Urzila's response "Thanks for not over-reacting."

This year's show is a very personal one and there's one section of it when Urzila reveals something very close to her that you can feel the in take of breath from the gathered crowd. I'm loathe to spoil the reveal but it's testament to Urzila's dry, naughty wit that at this point of the show, you feel like you know Urzila and what's happened to her. It's an even more impressive feat when you realise that Urzila's really only been doing stand up for about four years now.

Thanks to naughty touches, a self effacing and self deprecating quick wit, a spade is a spade approach, Urzila's show demonstrates an artist on top of their game and a comic New Zealand deserves to be incredibly proud of - I personally believe her star is about to go supersonic and hopefully, global.

Jeremy Elwood - Comedy Festival review

Jeremy Elwood - Comedy Festival review

Jeremy Elwood - Timebomb


This show really should be called "Jeremy Elwood talks a lot of sense".

The ever acidic and permanently insightful Mr Elwood returns with a new target in his sights for his comedy show - the end of the world aka December 21, 2012.

And what a show Timebomb is.

Jeremy's always been the comic that makes a lot of salient points; the kind of person you'd probably be happy to lose an argument to because the debate was so, so good.

His new show takes a look back at the past 12 months - both globally and nationally - and forward to what future we have if the Mayans are to be believed.

But, along the way, he aims at pretty much everything and everyone and hits his targets time and time again.

Thoroughly researched sounds like the kind of praise you heap on an academic, but for Jeremy it's fully deserved - he's a scholarly comic who's erudite, intelligent and politically aware - and also someone who's going to look at life with a slightly cocked eye wondering what the heck is truly going on.

Occasionally skirting the boundaries between fine line and offensive, Jeremy gets away with it thanks to a relaxed attitude, calming presence and general nice guy feel to it all; sure, he takes aim at apathetic voters, tells us why he hates the phrase "Heartland New Zealand", why we need a gay All Black - all within the confines of the show.

He's got a great way with language, a smart touch for the clever (telling us all at one point that his show's "not offensive but deals with the concept of truth") and has a way of cocking a snook at the world around us. He's a rare beast; a comic who knows what he wants to say and how to say it without alienating everyone around him - the kind of guy you can have a good solid debate with but will still buy you a beer rather than dismiss you.

Above all though, in a tightly put together set, Jeremy really does knock it out of the park; this sardonic, sly, masterfully funny and smartly witty bloke is on fire on the stage and really, you have to make sure you see him while you can - because your mind will be as active throughout this show as your laughter is.

Without a shadow of a doubt, highly recommended for 2012.

Well, you know, before it ends on December 21st....

Chris Cox - Comedy Festival review

Chris Cox - Comedy Festival review

Chris Cox - Fatal Distraction

A mind reader who can't read minds but who's a bit more honest about it?

The Tui billboard writes itself really, doesn't it?

Except, with Chris Cox it about sums up his act.

As you wander into his latest show, Fatal Distraction, you're greeted by ushers wanting to get you to fill out some information and provide a list of things for Chris to do in his act.

But even if you think you know where he's going to go with it, I can guarantee you don't have the slightest clue about where the journey's going to take you.

He's asked that secrets of the show aren't revealed - and fair enough, I'll afford this boisterous Brit that very courtesy - suffice to say, it's loosely an act which has a story thread running through it. One of those threads is that you're only one "What if" away from a different life....

However, the major thrill of this show is the audience participation - Chris' show is not one where you can sit back and not get involved; thanks to the hurling around of a soft toy, his victims (in the loosest sense of the word) are chosen and feats performed that simply have you sitting there, scratching your head and voicing out "WTF?"

It's very easy to be cynical about an act like this - sure, you can argue the suggestions are placed in volunteers' heads by potentially loaded questions - though, to be honest, if you're thinking that, it's a surefire sign that this quick talking Brit, a crown prince of distraction, has got under your skin and got your grey matter puzzling away.

Cox is enthusiastic, fast talking, funny, (albeit with a bad line in some corny puns here and there) and the provider of a great hour's worth of entertainment. It's cleverly masterful stuff throughout and it's guaranteed to leave you puzzled but greatly amused.

Thanks to a generally good natured and genial host, you're happy to sit back and be confounded; Chris is even generous to stick around afterwards to meet the crowd.

I'd wanted to go to talk to him and profess to know how he'd done it (I didn't have the first clue if I was brutally honest but pure swagger would never see me admit that) but sometimes, the magic is simply left alone and you're best to bathe in the glow of a mind blowingly good, brilliantly entertaining show which leaves you beaming from ear to ear as it finishes.

The Adventures of Tintin - Blu Ray Review

The Adventures of Tintin - Blu Ray Review

Rating: PG
Released by Universal Home Entertainment


Jamie Bell takes the lead of the eponymous hero in Spielberg's animated adaptation of Herge's famous investigator.

Along with his trusty dog Snowy, Tintin's caught up in a new adventure after he purchases a model ship called The Unicorn. Within seconds of this purchase, he's accosted by Daniel Craig's Ivan Ivanovitch Sakharine, who wants to get his hands on the model.


Sensing there's something to the ship, Tintin starts investigating - but soon, he's captured by some of Sakharine's goons and imprisoned on another ship. Desperate to escape, Tintin (along with Snowy) teams up with Captain Haddock (a brilliant Andy Serkis).

But Haddock's got more to do with this mystery than he first realises - and soon Tintin and Haddock are on a globetrotting journey to try and save the day - and to crack the secret of the Unicorn.

Family entertainment doesn't really get better than this rollicking boys own adventure from Spielberg and Peter Jackson. The performance capture 3D way of making film certainly has had a bit of a rough ride with films like Mars Needs Moms and The Polar Express managing to freak people out more than impress them.

However, from the opening frames of this sublimely animated flick, it's clear something magical's been created on celluloid.

With its initial credits recalling the Catch Me If You Can openers and Saul Bass' greatest work, Tintin is just entrancing from the get go. The animation is beautiful to look at and captures the essence and look of Herge's original novels - but it's the level of detail which is most impressive in every single frame.

But it's not just the animation which impresses; the script's been given a good dose of heart and humour which fleshes out the whole experience. Scenes where Haddock recalls his ancestors and the action swoops in and out of the past are some of the most impressive ever committed to the big screen; there's even a nice nod to Jaws which not only gives you a giggle but goes to showcase the marvellous work which has been done to ensure water is animated perfectly. Throw in some good solid action sequences and the whole gamut is here.

All of the actors give their all to this tale of derring do - and while Thompson and Thompson are a little underutilized, there's certainly more than enough to keep you stupidly entertained from beginning to end.

A sequel's inevitable and quite frankly, if it's as good as this first outing, you can count me in without a shadow of a doubt. 

Extras: A whole feast of docos makes this collection a blistering set of bonus content and gives the film the depth it needs for real fans.

Rating:

Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol Blu Ray Review

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by Universal Home Entertainment

Your mission - should you choose to accept it.

Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt's back in the fourth Mission Impossible outing - and what a return to form for the series.

When Ethan and his team are blamed for the bombing of the Kremlin as he carries out an undercover mission, the whole crew is disavowed by the US Government. However, it transpires the bombing is the work of a secret operative hellbent on unleashing nuclear war on the world.

So Ethan - along with his core crew of computer expert Benji (Simon Pegg) and spy Jane (Paula Patton)-  are forced to go rogue and clear their names, as well as stopping terror being unleashed on a global scale.

When it comes to the plot, this latest Mission Impossible is really nothing out of the ordinary; at the end of the day, it's an American secret agent forced undercover and facing overwhelming odds takes on a Russian agent and a mad scientist hellbent on nuclear destruction.

But what they've managed to do with this is turn it into a tightly produced, restrained and tense thriller which will have you on the edge of your seat.

From its opening scenes, where you're thrust directly into the action, it's clear Brad Bird and Tom Cruise have ramped up the stakes in this latest (seeing it on an IMAX screen will help too) when it comes to packing together a zippy film which is suspenseful, tense, adrenaline filled and slick in the extreme.

By dialling down the team to just four members as well, it gives the film a tauter, tighter edge and really does up the ante for character work; Simon Pegg's on great form as the edgy, nervy, quippy computer techie, Paula Patton's impressive as the get the job done spy who almost comes undone; and Jeremy Renner's got an air of mystery as Brandt, who is unwittingly caught up in the action. Michael Nyqvist brings a cool crisp menace as Hendricks, the baddie of the piece.

But it's Cruise who impresses too - his aged Ethan, world weary in scenes and in control of others is a much improved Hunt that we've not really seen in the past films. The slightly harder edge makes him a great leader and gives the flick a much needed point of focus.

Plus throw in some truly impressive global set pieces - including an eye popping sequence on the exterior of Dubai's building, the tallest in the world - as well as some truly astounding technology and gadgets, and you've got the right recipe for a perfect thriller.

The only minor niggle is the film comes a little undone in its final climax, a jaunt to Mumbai which doesn't really pack the punch it needs after some two hours of thrills and spills - and it gives it the feeling of being a little longer than maybe it needs to be.

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol is the best of the franchise; your mission - and I dare you not accept it - is to catch one of the best action films on the small screen.

Extras: On set with the team and looking at the stunt work, how the sandstorm sequence was brought to life and deleted scenes and alternate opening

Rating: