The 12th Doctor is unveiled....

The 12th Doctor is unveiled....

After months of speculation over who would take on the role of the Doctor since Matt Smith announced he was quitting Doctor Who, finally the actor who will be taking the role has been revealed.

Just moments ago in the UK, Peter Capaldi has been unveiled as the 12th Doctor, who will be taking on the position in the TARDIS after Matt Smith regenerates in the Christmas special.

Watch an interview with Peter Capaldi talking about becoming the 12th Doctor here.

NZIFF Review - Only Lovers Left Alive

NZIFF Review - Only Lovers Left Alive 

So, Auckland's closing night of the New Zealand International Film Festival leg threw up Jim Jarmusch's latest, Only Lovers Left Alive.

It's the (slight) story of vampire lovers Adam (Tom Hiddleston channeling lounge lizard and Iggy) and Eve (a more animated Tilda Swinton than I've seen in years).

The duo have been together for years and have seen it all - but are currently living apart. She in Tangier, he in Detroit. He's become a recluse within the walls of his mansion, bitter at how the "zombies" have taken over the world, playing music and having Anton Yelchin's Ian running errands for him - including sourcing old guitars from rock history.

She, on the other hand, also leads the solitary life, getting blood from Christopher Marlowe (a wizened John Hurt). When she calls Adam one day, she decides to head to Detroit to be with him, amid concerns over his mental health.

Adam's elated to see her but things take a turn for the chaotic when Eve's sister Ava, a wild child (Mia Wasikowska) shows up and throws everything into turmoil.

Only Lovers Left Alive is an impeccably cool piece of cinema, with a playful tone at its heart.

Admittedly nothing really substantial happens within this tome as it unspools; deadpan comments over knowing and influencing famous people are made by the duo and that's about as exciting as it ever gets.

But it's just Jarmusch being a bit playful throughout - he evocatively manages to conjure up the worlds they live in; Hiddleston's Adam, surrounded by wires and useless technology, lives in a world of clutter. His only interactions are with Anton Yelchin's hanger-on Ian and Jeffrey Wright's doctor from whom he sources blood.

There's dry humour aplenty in the piece as well - from visual gags such as Hiddleston's dressed up doctor wearing shades in a hospital and causing his supplier to jump to verbal jousting and acidly goofy one-liners which come out of nowhere, (the doctors in the blood bank are Dr Faust, Dr Calgari and Dr Watson) the screenplay carefully mixes cool with audience pleasing moments.

Visually impressive, moodily sombre in tone in places yet deliciously deadpan in others and with little going on outside of the atmospherics, you could be forgiven for not diving into Jarmusch's take on the vampire world in Only Lovers Left Alive..

However, it's due to the leads that it largely succeeds: Hiddleston's introspective and almost suicidal Adam, with half of his face covered with lank dark black hair and Swinton's animated, platinum blond locked Eve are eminently watchable thanks to some real onscreen chemistry. Which is just as well, because occasionally the film meanders and appears to have no overall plot or point.

All in all, Only Lovers Left Alive is a mischievous yet laid back ending to the New Zealand International Film Festival - it leaves you desiring more and facing the fact the show is now done for another year in Auckland.

Newstalk ZB Review - Only God Forgives and Now You See Me

Newstalk ZB Review - Only God Forgives and Now You See Me

This week, I caught up with Jack Tame on Newstalk ZB to talk movies and the latest releases.

Talking Ryan Gosling in Only God Forgives and Jesse Eisenberg in Now You See Me.

And at the film festival, The Selfish Giant.

NZIFF Review - Much Ado About Nothing, You're Next and The Broken Circle Breakdown

NZIFF Review - Much Ado About Nothing, You're Next and The Broken Circle Breakdown

Joss Whedon's latest, Much Ado About Nothing sees a gathering of the Whedonverse alumni in a take on Shakespeare's play which has lost none of the subtlety and fizz of the Bard's work.

Keeping the actual text in place, and tweaking only some of the minor details, it still focuses on the quarreling relationship of Benedick and Beatrice (played by Alexis Denisof and Amy Acker) and the relationship of Claudio and Hero amid modern times.

Set on a sumptuous estate (Whedon's own) this black and white adaptation is a virtuoso of subtlety and wit. The dialogues between the characters shine with nuances and revel in the language, frolicking in the back and forth of Benedick and Beatrice as well as Nathan Fillion's constable. But there's also some silly visual humour such as when Benedick finds his three friends discussing how Beatrice has fallen for him - those moments of comic capery will delight audiences.

Acker and Denisof are perfectly cast, balancing the moments of lightness and tomfoolery with the seriousness needed by Shakespeare's text; other players circle around them but to be honest, they barely register as highly as this duo. With perhaps the exception of Nathan Fillion.

A Shakespeare to be watched and enjoyed, Much Ado About Nothing is a zesty treat which feels fresh and sparkling as the festival draws to a close in Auckland.

Adam Wingard's You're Next is a gory treat.

It centres on a family who've come together to celebrate the 35th wedding anniversary of their parents in a deserted country mansion. Partners are brought along for the weekend and tensions rise to the surface between brothers and threaten to bubble over.

But those have to go on the back burner when a group wearing animal masks start picking off their victims one by one. The only problem with their Extreme Makeover: Home Invasion plan is that one of them (played by Home and Away's Sharni Vinson) has a talent for fighting back....

You're Next is a delicious treat, delivering fresh and suspenseful thrills on the horror front, before also dishing out some laughs here and there. Overall though, it's a clever and bloody inventive look at the horror, with Wingard eeking out as much tension as he can here and there as the showdown goes on.

Crowd-pleasing and also jump out of your seat jolting are the order of the day - and You're Next delivers on the promise of thrills, twists and suspense. It's one of the freshest films in the Incredibly Strange section this year and it's not to be missed.

Finally, The Broken Circle Breakdown is a terrific and heart breaking look at the demise of a relationship.

Weaving back and forth over the course of a relationship, it follows the story of Veerle Baetens' Elise, a tattoo artist and Johan Helderbergh's Didier, a banjo playing bluegrass artist. As the story begins, their daughter Maybelle has been diagnosed with terminal cancer and their differing viewpoints on life are challenged.

The Broken Circle Breakdown is a great piece of cinema - it's blessed with a great soundtrack and uplifting country bluegrass music which helps anchor the story of these lovers. But it's also the performances of the two leads which linger long after the story moves across different time periods, charting the highs of love and the lows and perils faced when life throws them your way.

Ultimately downbeat, the journey is an incredibly emotional one - moments are shuffled around out of chronological order with glimpses of what's to unfold / what's already happened hinted at and expanded on later in the film. It's a thrilling narrative touch which proves engaging and affecting.

Brand new Sherlock Series 3 trailer is here

Brand new Sherlock Series 3 trailer is here

Following the events of the Reichenbach Falls, there's plenty of discussion whether Benedict Cumberbatch's Sherlock made it.

Well, the first trailer for Sherlock Series 3 has just dropped.

Starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman and Mark Gatiss, Sherlock Series 3 will be back on the BBC soon...

Us and The Game Industry: Director Q&A

Us and The Game Industry: Director Q&A

Director: Stephanie Beth

Tell us about Us and the Game Industry. Where did the idea come from

I think it is remarkable how in such a short time the computer has enthralled so many. We are all on a quest as to what these objects (computers) do for us and what we do for them. Together, we are biology and culture.

I could see a chapter opening on Design for video games. My background education  is Fine Art/Cultlural Studies/Anthropology

The documentary affords a rare glimpse into the lives, philosophies, work and play of developers Jenova Chen and team at thatgamecompany. Other developers are: Jason Rohrer, Douglas Wilson (Die Gute Fabrik), Alexander Bruce, and Zach Gage. Vignettes of these and their works interlace a study of the build of the thatgamecompany’s Play Station network game, JOURNEY, a  game that gained stature in the world recently.

When did you begin shooting and did it all go according to plan?

March 2009. All went to plan

Where you a gamer before you began making the film?

No. I am a traditionally raised child in the liberal arts – traditional sports/Arts/culture. I’m not a gamer now

What’s the best reaction you’ve had to one of your films from an audience member?

Giggles last Sunday when Jason Rohrer said, “THE CASTLE DOCTRINE” is a game about home security and defence”

Conversely, what’s been the worst?

There has been no worst. I do pretty sensitive stuff.

What’s next for you?

Marketing US AND THE GAME INDUSTRY. It’s massive fun. It is a world community large project.

Twitter: usandthegameindustry@commondreamer

www.usandthegameindustry.com

NZIFF - What Maisie Knew

NZIFF - What Maisie Knew

Tremendously affecting and utterly engrossing, What Maisie Knew proves to be a truly wonderful NZIFF highlight.

Told from the point of view of Onata Aprile's young Maisie, it's the story of a child, pulled from pillar to post by divorcing parents. She's a rock star Susanne (Julianne Moore) and he's Beale, an art dealer (Steve Coogan) and their continual batting back and forth of Maisie, under proclamations of love is heartbreaking to bear.

When the pair inevitably split up, both get new partners - Beale takes the nanny Margo with him and ends up marrying her and Susanne winds up marrying on a whim to Alexander Skarsgard's Lincoln. But poor Maisie ends up going back and forth, taken in by various promises and let down by all prospective parents but never losing her prospective enthusiasm and hoping for the possibility of love.

When she starts to bond with the laid back Lincoln, a calming influence in her life, Susanne's insecurities come to the fore and things threaten to boil over which could have emotional consequences for Maisie.

What Maisie Knew is one of the finest dramas I've seen all festival.

Haunting and emotionally gripping, the slow burning heart of this film is anchored by a wonderful performance from Onata Aprile's Maisie; a perfect encapsulation of a young soul lost in life already and who never loses optimism. Neglected by her parents, and loved really only by Margo initially, she saves the joy for the nanny and bonds subtly and in a heartfelt manner with Skarsgard's Lincoln. The duo have a wonderful chemistry and the relationship of protector and charge is beautifully played with adorable soul and simple sensitivity by both Skarsgard and Aprile. Underplayed and never exploited, it's a natural relationship which shines in among Coogan and Moore's utter loathsome selfish behaviour.

If anything, What Maisie Knew belongs to Skarsgard and Aprile - and while the story plays out exactly how you may expect, it's only because you're hoping for a perfect resolution for Maisie, a kind of wishful fulfilment which we perhaps seek for the young in our own lives. There's a tremendous poignancy here which proves difficult to ignore.

Utterly affecting and ultimately rewarding, What Maisie Knew is essential viewing at the New Zealand International Film Festival.