New Zealand International Film Festival preview

New Zealand International Film Festival preview

It's here for another year and as ever, the range is broad, eclectic, informative and entertaining.

Yep, 2013's New Zealand International Film Festival has arrived and with it, a veritable source of cinematic booty to plunder.

From Joss Whedon's take on Shakespeare to Adam Wingard's shocker You're Next, there's plenty to dive into as the rain comes. Here's just a taster of some of the films I've had access to prior to the festival.

Who Will Be A Ghurka is a doco looking at what goes into the making of the Ghurkas and the drive to get into the famous British Armed Forces legion. 200,000 of them were sent to war during the two major conflicts and of those, some 60,000 were killed. This fly on the wall piece follows the recruitment of Nepali wannabes whose sole aim is to get into the brigade - despite the extremely rigorous and matter of fact training. Motives include family pride and money but the fact the contenders aren't given names or history makes for an intriguing experience - you're not saddled with back story and the desire to get to know them and end up watching with a curious detachment as this rigidly factual piece plays out. Subtly shot and an interesting insight into a world oft glimpsed, Who Will Be A Ghurka is the kind of reality doco which is non-sensational and honest.



The Human Scale is a film about people in cities and how their lives have been shaped by the world around them - and the continual up scaling of the cityscapes. It's a talking heads piece which takes a look at how some cities are pushing to turn the throbbing metropolis into pedestrian areas. Interviews take place in Copenhagen, New York and our very own Christchurch and look at how the megacities could ruin society It's a relatively straight piece which takes a little time to settle into a rhythm and is fairly loose with selective facts, but it's a fascinating look into the psychology of being a pedestrian and how urban design can shape our lives - and what can be done to change all that for the better. The insight into what Christchurch can do in the wake of the quake and how it's got a chance rarely afforded to other cities to start again is a real eye opener.

Which Way Is The Front Line From Here? is an HBO doco looking at the tragically short life of Tim Hetherington, who many will know as being one half of the Oscar nominated doco, Restrepo. It sets out its stall early on with a shot of Tim saying that the "role of witnessing comes with strong responsibility" - and it's clear that Sebastian Junger's piece is a honest, heartfelt, but never mawkish tribute to his former colleague. Tim was a tall, grinning, white guy who clearly stood head and shoulders above his subjects, but who was never above them in respect and grace. This fascinating piece intersperses past footage of Tim, with some of his shots and contributions from those who knew him. As an insight into what goes through an embedded journo's psyche, it's fascinating; as a look at what makes a human, it's unmissable. Powerful footage from war zones sweeps in with comments from all sides - and there's a strong poignancy to the final words from Sebastian Junger and the last sequences which show Tim's untimely demise. As Sebastian reveals, a Vietnam vet told him: "The core truth about war is you’re guaranteed to lose your brothers – and now you know everything you need to know about war" after hearing the news of Tim's death. Those moments feel almost intrusive, tragic and utterly soul destroying as they're set to a shot of the sun in a clear blue sky - this is an incredibly moving piece which encapsulates the reason some rush into horrors while others run away.


Blackfish is not, as some may have you believe or fear, this year's The Cove. Whereas The Cove was an unsettling look at the slaughter of dolphins in Japan, this is a shocking expose of the corporate negligence and unbelievable head burying in the sand of SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida. Focussing on the Orca Tilikum and the death, at his teeth, of trainer Dawn Brancheau, it's a stunning indictment of a company which pursues the lies and pushes the line that nothing's wrong with the Orca, which has now sired several other creatures within. Former trainers reveal the extent of their corporate brain washing and proffer up reasons for staying (to care for the animal) but no-one can avoid the core truth at the heart of this violence from the Orca. Purely and simply, it's about the captivity of the creature, the fact the male Orca is bullied by females and how neglect fuelled the inherent aggression within. It's a candid doco with a powerful message and a story simply told - but you shouldn't avoid this for fear of shots of animal cruelty. If anything, the humans are more badly treated than the captive creatures.


Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer is the doco looking at the guerrilla guitarists and band who've been proving to be a thorn in Russia's side since forming in 2011 after the return of Putin to power. Swathed in neon balaclavas and lurid outfits, they're the complete opposite to the balaclaved thieves in recent outing Spring Breakers, but are no less effective. The doco follows three of the girls who are on trial after storming a cathedral last year and performing. But it soon transpires, by following the trio through the build up that it's actually more Russia which is on trial for all that's happened in the run up to, and including, the re-election of Putin. Straightly told, stylishly executed (with pop up social media early on) and concisely spliced together, this doco's verging on propaganda for the group (as it inevitably would) but also holds a mirror up to Russia, showing that the country's vastly split down the lines between Church and State - a fascinating peek behind the iron curtain which not many of us have access to and one which examines how the art of protest still lives on, despite the detractors who would rather it didn't.



Computer Chess is a meandering drama, that initially looks like a doco from the 1980s with its black and white monochrome aesthetics. It takes a while to realise this piece, set at a computer vs computer chess tournament at a motel, is actually an acted ensemble piece, given how strong some of the character acting and nuances are - it won't be to everyone's tastes but this film from Beeswax director Andrew Bujalski offers up something which is totally different and a slightly surreal trip.

The Act of Killing is an utterly extraordinary piece of film-making. It follows Indonesian death squad leaders and demands that they re-enact their killings from the 1965/66 coup. Specifically, director Joshua Oppenheimer takes in gangster Anwar Congo and his acts of genocide as well as other leaders in the movement and those who supported the murders from the sidelines. As a peek into the mindset and psychology of a mass murderer, it's actually quite chilling as those involved matter of factly discuss how they killed people, avoided the blood of many by using wire from a distance to slaughter and how they feel they're like gangsters from Hollywood films. It's completely shocking to realise what they've done, but what's even more shocking is how little they initially seem to feel about it all. Gradually though, Anwar begins to realise what he's done as this trippy piece, with its Hollywood re-enactments and lavish musical number nears its end. As they realise they're troubled by hallucinations and show some signs of remorse for what they've done, you begin to realise the strangest doco of the festival is also the most powerful, affecting and haunting.

Programmes for this year's New Zealand International Film Festival are now on the streets, so let the planning begin!

The New Zealand International Film Festival runs from 18th July in Auckland before heading nationwide.

The Lone Ranger: Movie Review

The Lone Ranger: Movie Review

Cast: Johnny Depp, Armie Hammer, Tom Wilkinson, Ruth Wilson, William Fichtner, Helena Bonham Carter
Director: Gore Verbinski

Hi ho Silver - and away!

For many, The Lone Ranger is an icon of the early years of pop culture entertainment. Thanks to the old radio serials, it had a presence which was undeniable and a charm which was potentially universal.

And now, thanks to the powerhouse team behind the Pirates of The Caribbean, there's a remake for the 21st century which tries to meld the family ethics of the Disney way of life with the wild west.

Depp plays Tonto, an American Indian spirit warrior, who's our guide in more ways than one in this journey as he recounts, from a travelling circus, how the Lone Ranger was born from the death of John Reid (Armie Hammer) and transformed into a masked vigilante of justice and a symbol of hope.

Reid is trying to avenge the death of his brother (played by James Badge Dale) at the hands of William Fichtner's bad guy Butch Cavendish, and finds himself out of his depth and in the middle of a conspiracy helmed by Tom Wilkinson's Latham Cole, who's out to take over the whole idea of the railroad, which is just being brought in.

The Lone Ranger 2013 is a little bit too much of a sprawling film with too much of a muddled messy plot to feel focused as it limps to the end of its line, after nearly two and a half hours.

Starting with Depp under layers of latex in 1930s San Francisco, it takes a while for the story to kick in as it flashes back to 1869 Texas. But Depp's Tonto is a wonderful creation, mixing mawkish sadness and channeling silent comics from yesteryear under cracked white face paint and a crow upon his head. In fact, Depp's relatively dry and dour delivery provides a lot of unexpected laughs early on and works as a wonderful foil to Hammer's drippy and wet behind the ears do-gooder, law-abiding DA, John Reid. In fact, Hammer hardly brings the Lone Ranger to life at all and pales in comparison and charisma to Depp's Tonto.


The sequence which introduces Silver, the spirit walker horse, really strives to bring the legend of the Lone Ranger to life and cause the relationship between the duo to soar above much of the rest of a muddled and average plot. Jokes about the true meaning of Kimosabe sit alongside some truly dark imagery (such as the slaughter of native Americans by the army and villagers cut down by the greed of some) and are an uneasy fit in the overall feel of The Lone Ranger movie. Helena Bonham-Carter's appearance in the film amounts to nothing more than a cameo and a nod to one of Rose McGowan's Tarantino roles and Wilkinson appears to be a little lost among some misplaced altruism before bringing the twirling moustache baddie to the fore.

A final set piece sequence on board two trains (and complete with the William Tell Overture) provides more thrills, spills, action and laughs than anything which has gone before as Verbinksi finally unleashes a spectacle which is astoundingly good - but it's a little too late in the piece as over 2 hours of confused and chaotic story telling have unfolded with nary a nod of interest. An expeditious edit of around 40 minutes could have helped this bloated piece achieve some kind of focussed story-telling.

While the comic beats and relationship between Reid and Tonto bring a lot to the screen (even if Reid is blown away by the at times surreal antics of Tonto / Depp's colourful performance), the rest is a little wanting - and leaves the 2013 version of The Lone Ranger somewhat lost and adrift at the winter box office.

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The Last of Us: PS3 Review

The Last of Us: PS3 Review

Released by Sony Computer Entertainment
Platform: PS3

To say Naughty Dog's latest title, The Last Of Us is the most anticipated title of the year is a massive understatement.

I've had preview time with the game, played beta levels and generally done everything I can with what's been around on this third person horror survival game. So it's fair to say that I thought I was prepared for everything with this game.

I was wrong.

In The Last Of Us, you take the role of Joel, a survivor fighting to get through day by day on an Earth which has been ravaged by the arrival of a parasitic fungus which has wiped out most human life. Any survivors who have been touched by the plant's spores have been turned into mindless killers and zombies whose one desire is to tear you apart. Or in the worst case of infection, they've become clickers, creatures whose heightened sense of sound means they use some kind of sonar to track you down - and then tear you apart.

As we start the game, the introduction sets things up nicely - in a way which is truly unforgettable. To say this game is harrowing is to sell it short. What it also manages to do is to grip you right from the very beginning of the title screens.

Cue 20 years later, and Joel's still trying to eek out an existence within the wastelands - slightly bitter, slightly mercenary but completely vulnerable bad ass, he's a gun for hire in some ways. Joel's approached to help get a fourteen year old girl, Ellie to safety across the quarantine zones and out of harm's way. So begins a major trek, which is not without danger, across parts of America. Infected humans, clickers (who use sound to track you) and fearsome human fighters all present dangers to your journey - and each choice comes with a consequence.

The Last Of Us is utterly compelling gaming - Naughty Dog's thrown together a story which is gripping, emotional and horrific as well as adding in gameplay which builds on those layers.  As you head through the various landscapes, there's plenty to keep you occupied; whether it's collecting bits and bobs to arm yourself or sneaking around trying to avoid runners and clickers, or taking in the stupendously apocalyptic scenery that Naughty Dog's created, there's a lot to do within the world.

Time needs to be spent collecting as well - whether it's to craft weapons to shiv the Clickers or improve on your rucksack space, you have to take some time to understand the skill levels of the game if you're to survive. Likewise, deciding whether fight or flight are the best motives are a key part to surviving after the apocalypse; and it's a smart person who knows when to run. Similarly if you're being pursued, spending time scavenging and looking for equipment and weapons is probably not the best strategy

Occasionally though, you can't wander as far as perhaps you would like with trees and bushes which would suggest depth actually proffering you a wall; and it's a frustration. There are a few of these moments through the game - sometimes, the Ellie AI means she gets in your way, enemies can be right on top of you without seeing you when you're in stealth mode (which is just unrealistic) and on a couple of occasions, runners I've been fighting have simply disappeared from the screen.

All in all though, these are very minor niggles in a game which truly raises the bar for what to expect from a deeply immersive and truly emotional experience. Playing The Last Of Us has left me drained - be it from the suspense of what's going on or emotionally because of the story. A developing relationship between Ellie and Joel is the real hook to this - and the real reason you will invest hours of your life in front of the console. Naughty Dog have put a lot of effort into the emotion and it really does pay off in great swathes as you power on through the wastelands of America.

I'm loathe to give away any spoilers on this game - as with any great film, the twists and turns are the narrative drawstrings which anchor this as something unique and original. But the elements of surprise in this game mean you shouldn't know anything more than the basics before you go in - strategies and hints will be discussed as will the places for collectibles, but the thrill of The Last Of Us is watching the cinematic feel unfurl before you.

The Last Of Us is an incredible experience on PS3. Grim, gritty, graphic, gruesome but never anything less than gripping throughout, it's delivered everything and more that it initially promised in its demos and within its concept art. It's one of the last great titles on the PlayStation 3 and if you're serious about gaming as an experience, it's one you simply cannot afford to be without.

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The Guilt Trip: Blu Ray Review

The Guilt Trip: Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by Universal Home Entertainment

From the director of Step Up, The Proposal and 27 Dresses comes this road trip film featuring Barbara Streisand and Seth Rogen, who executive produced. Rogen is Andy Brewster, an inventor, who's created an environmentally friendly cleaning product and is about to embark on a series of pitches across America. When he calls in on his over protective mother Joyce (Streisand who was nominated for a Razzie for this) prior to the sales campaign, a moment of family revelation and a degree of guilt compel him to ask her along for the 8,000 km drive.

That's despite the irritant nagging and excessive worrying about his love-life.

So, in true road trip style, the pair set off on a voyage of (predictable) discovery with (inevitable) life changing repercussions.

The Guilt Trip is a road movie that's supposed to be comedy and drama. And unfortunately, it ends up being neither really. Low on comedy, the vehicle manages more middle of the road, pleasantly predictable bickering and squabbling telemovie of the week which is likely to see you (potentially) diving for the phone after and calling your own mum and realising that in amongst all the nagging over the years, she really does love you.

Rogen is downbeat to Streisand's pitched nagging (and unfortunately, she grates so much within the first 10 minutes, she becomes irritating) and whilst there are moments when the pair come to life (notably nearer the end, there just aren't enough of them throughout the 95 minutes of film.

Very minor interactions with a supporting cast don't add much to the mix or improve the dynamic between the main duo and whilst it's all perfectly watchable, it's simply nothing more than that. Which is a real shame, because as the credits roll, there are a series of improvised riffs within the car that are funnier than anything in the rest of what's gone prior.

A disappointing script leaves a real sense of what could have been for The Guilt Trip movie - and while Rogen and Streisand gel well together and have a reasonably realistic dynamic, the tank runs empty way too early, leaving you wishing this road trip had been canned.

Extras: Deleted scenes, a few minor bits and pieces

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Before Midnight: Movie Review

Before Midnight: Movie Review

Cast: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick, Ariane Labed
Director: Richard Linklater

18 years ago, a film made romantics everywhere swoon.

The nearly a decade after Before Sunrise, came the sequel - and once again, hearts were a-flutter with the film Before Sunset when the duo of Jesse and Celine finally made it.

Now, we rejoin them some 9 years later for the conclusion of the trilogy and finding that happily ever after never quite works as well as it should. It starts with Ethan Hawke's slightly older Jesse bidding farewell to his son at an airport, before joining the love of his life Celine (Julie Delpy) for the final days of their summer writing vacation in Greece.

With two young daughters, both are happy but are approaching a crossroads in their cosy life. Jesse's finding the departure from his son a lot more emotionally draining than before and it leaves him contemplating packing their lives up in France and relocating to America.

However, that nagging thought soon becomes a widening chasm between the pair...

Before Midnight is an effortless conclusion to the trilogy which has now spanned some two decades.

Linklater, Hawke and Delpy know we are all invested on these characters so we don't have to reassociare ourselves with them; nor do they have to bother with back story, choosing to fill in the gap from the last film with throaway lines, glances and dialogue as opposed to exposition.

But it's the film-making which also shines brilliantly here; long, swooping uninterrupted tracking shots follow Delpy and Hawke as they take a walk / drive and they build an intimicacy and comfort with the pair which is hard to deny.

The dialogue and situations which arise and escalate from their sojourn on the Greek isle are all simply handled for maximum effect: a talk about the future which begins amorously soon builds to an horrific row which feels all too realistic and relatable. Some times they are on the same page, other times poles apart.

Theoretical discussions sit alongside juxtapositions of beautiful sunsets and it's all so easy to get lost in as these rambling raconteurs and romantics lose themselves on bouts of verbal jousting or heart to heart moments. Sure, Hawke and Delpy may be a little older and greyer but they've lost none of the cinematic charm which has found this couple so ingrained on our psyche and make them feel so real.

Before Midnight is a superb closing chapter; a wonderfully poignant and truthful rumination on life, death and most importantly, love. It's cinema to rhapsodize to, art to fall in love with and an experience to be treasured.

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Safe Haven: DVD Review

Safe Haven: DVD Review

Rating: M
Released by Roadshow Home Ent

In the latest weepie to hit the cinema and to prove the chagrin to all self respecting partners worldwide, Josh Duhamel stars as Alex, a widower with two kids who lost his wife to cancer. Alex runs a store in the quiet sleepy coastal town of Southport, which is in the middle of nowhere.

Into his life comes the blond Katie, (Julianne Hough) a mysterious young woman who wants to start life anew. But Katie has a secret and is unwilling to open up to anyone, preferring to keep to herself and stow her past away. Gradually though, she forms a bond with Alex and his two kids which blossoms into love. Until Katie's dark sercret from her murky past threatens their future happiness...

The movie Safe Haven is formulaic Nicholas Sparks drama. It ticks all of the boxes that you'd expect from the 8th adaptation from his batch of books. Scene in the rain? Check. Gooey romantic mush set to middle of the road music? Also, check. Cute kids, one who's for the new prospective love interest and the other who's against? Also, check again. Snatched looks between two people clearly meant for each other, despite adversity and who let down their guard to fall hopelessly in love? Again, check and you've got a full house from the Sparks' world of cliche and formulaic.

Vulnerable Duhamel and blonde quivery-lipped Hough have an easy affability to their characters, but there's little sizzle between the pair of them on screen. David Lyons plays the cop looking for Katie, and makes a reasonable fist of his baddie despite the OTT blaring of nasty soundtrack and attack of the sweats every time he's on screen.How I Met Your Mother's Cobie Smulderscomes away relatively unscathed as Katie's best friend in Southport.

If you lower your expectations going into this on a date night, then perhaps you won't be surprised by what plays out. But, to everyone else, this predictable mix of the relatively bland and inoffensive drama will set their teeth on end as it plays out in true romantic drama fashion - and it's a relative carbon copy of Sleeping With The Enemy in many ways too.

Until the final few minutes, which throws in a twist which is worthy of a certain Bruce Willis movie, and which is totally out of left-field and makes no sense whatsoever, no matter how good looking the main cast are.

Ultimately Safe Haven is by the numbers, pleasantly inoffensive and gentle enough to hook in some. It's not as mushy as some previous fare, but it doesn't offer any real surprises.

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Hitchcock: Blu Ray Review

Hitchcock: Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment

The list of Hitchcock's influence is as long and wide as his jowls. From Psycho, North by Northwest to The Birds, Vertigo, Rear Window, the list goes on and on.

This latest release details his struggles to get Psycho made, following the success of North by Northwest and is a light and frothy affair, which is based on Stephen Rebello's non-fiction book, Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho.

Anthony Hopkins dons the prosthetics and curls out his bottom lip to play the portly master of suspense in this film, set in 1959, which finds Hitch mulling over which project to take on, following the major success of "North by Northwest" and stung by a reporter asking him when he plans to retire.

Various proposals come his way - including Casino Royale - but taken by a novel Psycho by Robert Bloch (and about killer Ed Gein), Hitchcock becomes obsessed with getting this project off the ground - despite the protestations of both the studio and his wife Alma Reville (wonderfully portrayed with richness by Helen Mirren). But Hitch's a man on a mission - and he starts to risk it all by taking on this project. From mortgaging his house to self finance the flick and dealing with the censors, it begins to push their relationship to the absolute breaking point.

Coupled with starting to see Gein and suspecting Alma of an affair, the making of Psycho could be the unravelling of Hitchcock's hitherto charmed life.

Hitchcock is a knockabout film in parts which is potentially more suited to a telemovie. Thankfully, some wonderful character performances elevate it from the level of the small screen; firstly, Helen Mirren, whose portrayal and portrait of a woman behind the man is nothing short of compelling, rich and watchable from the get go. How she never received some form of recognition beyond a BAFTA nomination for this is incredulous.

Anthony Hopkins is, in all honesty, a mixed bag in terms of his portrayal of Hitchcock. There are moments when he's spot on with the role, working under a prosthetic face and an enhanced girth. And certainly, there are times when he has the trademark pout spot on.

But then there are others when Hitchcock sounds like a curious mix of cockney Michael Caine put through a Welsh burr and mixed in with a fat suit. It's an extraordinarily odd sense of the man and at times, the make up and vocals become distracting. However, in encapsulating Hitch's more lecherous side, his obsessive compulsions and his propensity towards his leading ladies, Hopkins gives a never less than rounded portrait and insight into what propelled the man. All in all, Hitchcock is an entertaining, if occasionally forgettable, piece which will have you turning off the movie at the end and seeking out Psycho to rewatch - as well as some of Hitch's other fare. Which is no bad thing at all.

Extras: A solid bunch including behind the scenes on the make up, commentary and a public service announcement

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