First trailer for 300: Rise of An Empire is here

First trailer for 300: Rise of An Empire is here

This is Sparta.......

Well, more accurately, this is the first trailer for 300: Rise of an Empire which has just dropped.

The Greek general Themistocles battles an invading army of Persians under the mortal-turned-god, Xerxes.

NZ International Film Festival - 5 guests announced

NZ International Film Festival - 5 guests announced

NZIFF ANNOUNCES FIVE INTERNATIONAL GUESTS

The New Zealand International Film Festival today announced five further international guests to attend the Festival, along with a returning New Zealand filmmaker.

Denmark-based New Zealand director Daniel Borgman will attend the NZIFF screenings of his feature film The Weight of Elephants. The film premiered at the Berlinale in February and opened on general release in Denmark last week. The film tells the story of 11 year-old Adrian whose world is thrown into turmoil when three children in his small town disappear.

“Daniel Borgman’s evocation of a lonely boy’s misapprehensions about the world is extraordinarily vivid. His sensitive direction of the children provides exceptional insight into their world,” says NZIFF Director Bill Gosden.

NZIFF also announced that the following international filmmakers who will attend the festival:

Australian filmmakers Director Kim Mordaunt, Producer Sylvia Wilczynski and Executive Producer Bridget Ikin will be in New Zealand with their award-winning The Rocket. Mordaunt and Wilczynski will introduce Auckland and Wellington screenings.

Director Sean Baker, from the USA, will visit both Auckland and Wellington with his film Starlet about the unlikely friendship between an old and a young woman.

Maureen Gosling, co-Director of This Ain’t No Mouse Music!, will attend the Auckland and Wellington screenings of her film. The documentary tells the story of Chris Strachwitz, the guiding force behind legendary roots label Arhoolie Records.

The Festival has already announced American pro-snowboarder Kevin Pearce will attend the Auckland screenings of The Crash Reel, from director Lucy Walker. Italian prog-rock band Goblin will perform their iconic score to Dario Argento’s horror masterpiece, Suspiria, on Friday July 19 at The Civic in Auckland.

NZIFF will begin in Auckland (18 July – 4 August), open in Wellington one week later (26 July – 11 August), then Christchurch (1 – 18 August) and Dunedin (8 – 25 August) before continuing to travel around New Zealand screening in Gore, Palmerston North, Hamilton, Nelson, Tauranga, Masterton, Hawke’s Bay and New Plymouth.

NZIFF programmes will be available online and around town from June 25 in Auckland, and June 28 in Wellington. For Festival updates visit www.nziff.co.nz and register to receive e-newsletters

More films announced for NZ International Film Festival

More films announced for NZ International Film Festival

More good news for film fans this morning as further films are revealed from the upcoming New Zealand International Film Festival.

Further Film Announcements

The Weight of Elephants

New Zealand/Denmark 2013/87 mins/Censors rating tbc

Kiwi-born Daniel Joseph Borgman returns to NZ, after a string of successful Danish shorts, with this piercing insight into the world of children, centred on a lonely, imaginative 11-year-old boy’s search for friendship. 

Read more about The Weight of Elephants on our website.

The Source Family

USA 2012/98 mins/Censors rating tbc

A sobering and fascinating time capsule of 70s psychedelia and communal hippiedom, with those who lived through the psychedelia, the songs and the madness – all wrapped up with eye-popping home movies and insightful interviews.

Read more about The Source Family on our website.

William Yang: My Generation

Australia 2013/58 min/Censors rating tbc

William Yang presents his entertaining, affecting photographs of Sydney bohemia in the riotous 70s and 80s. “Fashion parades, art events, and wild, bohemian parties… a fascinating journey into a vibrant era.” — Time Out Sydney

Read more about William Yang: My Generation on our website.

Brand new The Wolverine trailer

Brand new The Wolverine trailer

Another brand new The Wolverine trailer's dropped with a nice intro from Hugh Jackman.

Here's your first look at the brand new Wolverine Trailer.

It comes after director James Mangold released a 7 second tease of the full Wolverine trailer

And there's also a brand new The Wolverine poster out as well.

So get excited for the brand new full length The Wolverine trailer.

The Hunt: Movie Review

The Hunt: Movie Review

Cast: Mads Mikkelsen, Annika Wedderkopp
Director: Thomas Vinterberg

Fresh from success at the New Zealand International Film Festival last year, Danish film The Hunt finally gets a release here.

It's the story of Lucas (Mikklesen in another award winning turn), a teacher, who leads a solitary life and is wrestling with the fall-out from a break up as he tries to get time with his son.

Living in a small knit Danish community, Lucas ends up working at a kindergarten to make ends meet - but that's where the trouble starts as he is accused by Klara (Wedderkopp) of exposing himself to her. With investigations into his conduct and alleged behaviour, the small community begins to slowly turn on him, with devastating emotional effects.

I'd heard dark things about The Hunt - about how it got unrelentingly bleak and so to be honest, I had been expecting the worst from this tale of kindergarten teacher Lucas whose life is irrevocably changed after one of the children in his charge lies and falsely tells his boss he's been sexually abusing them.

What I couldn't have been expecting is just how utterly compelling and totally claustrophobic, this latest film from the director of Festen, Thomas Vinterberg was going to be. It's no wonder Mikkelsen won the Best actor at Cannes this year for his portrayal of Lucas, the innocent man who's damned before his peers without any shred of evidence.

But what's winning about this film is how utterly plausible it is in places as it taps into the small minded community mentality and how non-hysterically it plays out. 

Mikkelsen and youngster Annika Wedderkopp (who plays Klara who makes the claim) are completely the stars of the piece thanks to underplayed, subtly sly and riveting performances. Sure, it's an old story and one which we've all seen shades of before, but it's these two actors who imbue their time on screen with such utter devotion that you can't help but be swept up by it - despite accusations of how it really could happen in this day and age.

Vinterberg also needs commendation for his directing and crafting of the tale - Lucas goes from being part of a gang of friends whose bond stretches years back to a haunted and vilified ghost of a man, whose (admittedly frustrating) refusal to totally refute the claims seems like madness. No doubt his self belief is what carries him through but as they say, it's darkest before the dawn, and Mikkelsen's subtle performance is a cinematic tour de force.

Similarly, Wedderkopp, a cute blond moppet (a direct contrast to Mikkelsen's frog like facials) plays a girl who doesn't understand the truth of her lie and who's caught up in a world she can't possibly understand. The scenes where she tells her mother that it didn't happen and her mother comes back telling her it did are gobsmackingly heart breaking and cut an emotional quick as well as hint at a reality of what could play out. Vinterberg's hit a fine form here and a few nerves as well (judging by the horrified yelp of one woman at the screening's ending during the Film Festival) and makes The Hunt as dark as anything you're likely to experience.

The Hunt is horrifyingly good, heart in the mouth drama that challenges but showcases acting genius and really does need to be seen up on the big screen while you have the chance.

Rating:

New The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug trailer is here

New The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug trailer is here

Good news this morning - the launch of the new Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug trailer....



  It comes after the reveal of a The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug poster.

Peter Jackson's unveiled a first look at The Desolation of Smaug - well, a first look at theposter for The Hobbit sequel anyway.

And it's been revealed The new teaser trailer for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug will be unveiled this Tuesday, June 11th, at 10am PT

Benedict Cumberbatch is the voice of Smaug and it hits cinemas in December 2013.

So, wanting to fuel that fire even further, here's your first look at Bilbo in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug...

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is due in cinemas in December 2013...

Here's a First look at the elf Tauriel.

The elf Tauriel played by Evangeline Lilly will appear in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.

More details on PS4 hardware

More details on PS4 hardware

Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) today announced that the PlayStation®4 (PS4™) (CUH-1000A series) computer entertainment system will come in “Jet Black” color and will be available this holiday season at a recommended retail price (RRP) of $649.95 NZD.

The design of PS4 made its public debut at the PlayStation® press conference on June 10, 2013, which kicked off the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles.  PS4 will also be displayed this week at the Sony Computer Entertainment America booth at E3, one of the world's largest video game exhibitions.

The internal design architecture of the PS4 system, from the optical drive and power supply unit to the cooling mechanism, has been pursed to keep the body as slim and light as possible to dramatically enhance the flexibility of the design.

The PS4 features a simple but modern design accentuated by its linear flat form factors.  The surface of the PS4 body is subdivided into four sections, as if four blocks are stacked together making one figure, with disc slot, buttons, power indicator and vent placed within the slim interspace created between the sections.  The power indicator designed atop the body will glow in a PlayStation blue color when the power button is turned on.  The foreside and backside of the body is slightly angled; it not only gives users easy access to the power button and disc slot when placed either horizontally or vertically but also helps conceal the connected cables.  The black-themed color along with the matte and gloss finish adds a sophisticated look to the PS4 system as the next generation entertainment system and will fit perfectly wherever it is placed
.

PS4 peripherals include the stand-alone Wireless Controller for PlayStation®4 (DUALSHOCK®4) and PlayStation®Camera, which will be available at launch for RRP of US$ 59, Canada$ 59, € 59 and £ 54, and US$ 59, Canada$ 59, € 49 and £ 44 respectively.  Both accessories will come in “Jet Black” color.

The upcoming software lineup for PS4 from software developers and publishers will include Destiny™ from Bungie, Inc., in partnership with Activision Publishers, Inc., Diablo® III from Blizzard Entertainment, Inc., KINGDOM HEARTS III and FINAL FANTASY® XV from SQUARE ENIX, Assassin’s Creed® IV Black Flag™ and Watch_Dogs™ from Ubisoft Entertainment, NBA® 2K14 from 2K Sports, The Elder Scrolls® Online from Bethesda Games Studios and Mad Max ™ from Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, totaling more than 110　titles. PS4 has earned great support from a wide variety of game publishers, including many indie developers. Since February 2013, the number of developers joining has increased from 126 to 505.

Furthermore, from SCE Worldwide Studios, more than 30 titles, including 12 brand new IP, are under development, including Killzone: Shadow Fall, Knack, inFAMOUS: Second Son, #DRIVECLUB and The Order: 1886.*1 Out of over the 30 titles under development, 20 titles will be available within a year from the PS4 launch.

SCE will vigorously promote PS4 towards the launch as the next generation computer entertainment platform through further introduction of peripherals and attractive software lineup.

Console and peripheral specs: 

Product name PlayStation®4 Jet Black

Product code CUH-1000A series

Recommended retail price NZ $649.95 

Main processor Single-chip custom processor

CPU :  x86-64 AMD “Jaguar”,  8 cores 

GPU : 1.84 TFLOPS,  AMD next-generation Radeon™ based graphics engine

Memory GDDR5 8GB 

Storage size 500GB Hard disk drive*1

External dimensions

  Approx.  275×53×305 mm (width × height × length) 

(tentative, excludes largest projection) 

Mass Approx. 2.8 kg

BD/ DVD drive

(read only) BD × 6 CAV

DVD × 8 CAV

Input/ Output Super-Speed USBx (USB 3.0) port × 2

AUX port × 1

Networking Ethernet (10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T) ×1

IEEE 802.11 b/g/n

Bluetooth® 2.1 (EDR)

AV output HDMI out port

DIGITAL OUT (OPTICAL) port

Included PlayStation®4 system × 1

Wireless Controller (DUALSHOCK®4) × 1

Mono headset × 1

AC power cord × 1

HDMI cable × 1

USB cable × 1

*1 The hard disk drive contains space that is available for users and space that is reserved for the system, therefore the actual space that is free for users is smaller than the total space stated in this document.

* Design and specifications are subject to change without notice.

 <Wireless Controller for PlayStation®4 (DUALSHOCK®4)>

Product name DUALSHOCK®4 wireless controller

Color Jet Black

Product code CUH-ZCT1

External dimensions Approx. 162mm × 52mm × 98mm (width × height × depth)

(tentative, excludes largest projection)

Weight Approx. 210g (tentative)

Keys / switches PS button, SHARE button, OPTIONS button,

Directional buttons (Up/Down/Left/Right), 

Action buttons (Triangle, Circle, Cross, Square),

R1/L1/R2/L2 button, Left stick / L3 button, Right stick / R3 button, Pad Button

Touch pad 2 Point Touch Pad, Click Mechanism, Capacitive Type

Motion sensor Six-axis motion sensing system (three-axis gyroscope, three-axis accelerometer)

Other features Light Bar, Vibration, Built-in Mono Speaker

Ports USB (Micro B), Extention Port, Stereo Headset Jack

Wireless communication Bluetooth® Ver2.1+EDR

Battery Type Built-in Lithium-ion Rechargeable Battery

　 Voltage DC3.7V (tentative)

　 Capacity 1000mAh (tentative)

* Design and specifications are subject to change without notice.

< PlayStation®Camera >

Product name PlayStation®Camera

Color Jet Black

Product code CUH-ZEY1

External dimension Approx. 186mm × 27mm × 27mm (width × height × depth) 

(tentative)

Weight Approx. 183g (tentative)

Video pixel (Maximum) 1280 × 800 pixel × 2

Video frame rate 1280×800 pixel @ 60fps

640×400 pixel @ 120fps

320×192 pixel @ 240fps

Video format RAW, YUV (uncompressed)

Lens Dual Lenses, F value/F2.0 fixed focus

Capture range 30cm～∞

Field-of-view 85°

Microphone 4 Channel Microphone Array

Connection type PS4 dedicated connector (AUX connector)

Cable length Approx. 2m (tentative)

* Design and specifications are subject to change without notice.