Comedy Fest Q&A - Luke Heggie

Comedy Fest Q&A - Luke Heggie

1) Tell us the name of your show –
BUSH WEEK

2)Which came first – the show name or the show content?
The Name – it’s a non-specific name that allows me to crowbar in whatever content I like and loosely base it around the theme.

3) C’mon, be honest…. I've never lied.
Any other working titles for the show? “Dickheads I've met in hostels”

5) How long – honestly- have you been working on this?
6 months

6) What’s been the biggest challenge of pulling this show together?
Working full time, putting my fun sponges to bed each night, and then heading out to road test material. It's exhausting.

7) Who’s your biggest comedy rival – and why?
Stephen K Amos. We look and sound just the same, and are very similar in style and we both have heaps of cash.

8)Who’s your biggest comedy friend – and why?
Daniel Connell. He lets me sleep on his floor when I go to Melbourne Comedy Festival.

9)Which show is your must see? Why?
Fan Fiction Comedy. It's been one of my staples for the last few years – always different, and these kids are really funny.

10)Give us your definition of a great night out during the festival.
After the laughter and applause die down after my show, and I finish signing autographs, I like to go to a late show and check out a line-up of comics I rarely get to see. Sometimes even I am in a show like this.

11)What goes through your mind, the minute before curtain goes up?
Don't forget all your jokes dickhead.

12)What about when you’re on stage?
Same.

13)How easily distracted are you?
Not very. I go at a pace that doesn't encourage hecklers, and I don't go off script a lot, but I've usually got my shit together enough to find my way back if things do go awry.

14) Give us your dream comedy line-up:
A mix of 6 or 7 people I've never clapped eyes on being fucking hilarious from start to finish. I'm in the 3rd row with an ice cream.

15)Just finally, where will you be in 5 years’ time?
Sitting at my desk in Sydney writing jokes – much the same as now. And hopefully getting invited back to the NZ Comedy Festival.

Australian comedian Luke Heggie performs his show BUSH WEEK (AKL 25 & 26, 29 April – 3 May & WLG 6 – 10 May) as part of the 2014 NZ International Comedy Festival in cahoots with Old Mout Cider 24 April – 18 May. For more info visit www.comedyfestival.co.nz

The Counselor: DVD Review

The Counselor: DVD Review

Rating: R16
Released by 20th Century Fox home Ent

Based on an original screenplay by No Country for Old Men and The Road author Cormac McCarthy, The Counselor dives deeply into the world of drug trafficking.

Fassbender is the Counselor to Javier Bardem's spiky-haired, lurid-shirted Reiner. He's a relatively happy man, soon to be engaged to his girlfriend Laura (Penelope Cruz) and quite happy to skirt the moral boundaries with the criminal element. But a chance comment from Reiner about how he could make more money sets the Counselor on a new path.

Given the chance to make some money from an apparently no-fail drug deal with Brad Pitt's cowboy hat wearing Westray, the Counselor gets involved in a drug-trafficking scheme. However, a twist soon puts him squarely in the sights of the drug cartels and he's running for his life, as well as his bride-to-be.

"You don't know someone until you know what they want" is one of the lines nihilistically intoned by a character in The Counselor.

There's plenty of foreshadowing in this good-vs-evil piece; everyone's warning about the potentially bad outcomes and quite frankly, in among some truly terrible dialogue, it certainly adds up to a emotionless cinematic experience. Perhaps the worst character is Cameron Diaz's Malkina,supposed ice queen and beau to Bardem's Reiner, who sports a terrible dye job and some truly tight trashy dresses. In among some leopard tattoos, dusky eye shadow and a permanent scowl, she delivers a truly divisive performance which has to be seen to be believed. And not simply because in one sequence, you can see Cameron Diaz making love to a car. She's supposed to be the hidden predator in the piece but a lack of any menace or emotion whatsoever means she turns in a performance that is devoid of anything other than shallow button pressing.

Fassbender manages a little better, imbuing his gradually unravelling counselor with the greed and avarice that signals his spiral down - but in a film which continually bangs on about the menace of women and over emphasises predator imagery that's nothing spectacular to write home about. Particularly given that there's little reason given for the Counselor suddenly needing to be part of a major drug deal and score some big cash.

Sure, Scott brings a lurid take on McCarthy's relatively poorly written script, but even he can't bring to life dialogue which belongs more on a page than in characters' mouth on a big screen. Even the threat of beheadings and violence of Biblical proportions (although one character is despatched so ruthlessly on a street that it's actually shocking) can't resuscitate the overall feeling.

Admittedly, in parts, it's a unique take on the drugs' world in terms of being OTT, but with missing elements of suspense and tension as the stakes are raised, The Counselor is a frustrating and often muddled film, filled with cod philosophical debate that offers no psychological insights into these potentially vivid characters.

Rating:

Comedy Fest Q&A - James Nokise

Comedy Fest Q&A - James Nokise

Comedy Fest Q&A
JAMES NOKISE
(2013 FRED Award nominee – NZ BEST SHOW)

1)Tell us the name of your show
The Bronaissance

2)Which came first – the show name or the show content?
Name

3)C’mon, be honest….
Seriously – It's a collaboration between myself and several artists. So maybe it's better to say the idea popped up first.

4)Any other working titles for the show?
Skuxology..... If it was a food show: Bronappetite..

5)How long – honestly- have you been working on this?
Over a year, I came up with the idea just before last year’s comedy festival when I realised I wanted to do a sequel to So So Gangsta

6)What’s been the biggest challenge of pulling this show together?
Actually trying to keep the themes and style similar to last years show instead of just doing a straight new show... oh and simplifying some of the more geekeier stuff. Renaissance art, Thatcher government... that kind of shit.

7)Who’s your biggest comedy rival – and why?
Don't have one – though I do keep getting nominated for awards with Nick Rado, and we both come from Welly. We talk a lot about our bro's.

8)Who’s your biggest comedy friend – and why?
Nick Rado – see above.

9)Which show is your must see? Why?
Jamie Bowen and Rhys Mathewson. Because they're both in-form comics with great stories to tell, and those are my favourite kind of shows.

10)Give us your definition of a great night out during the festival
A good meal, perform an awesome show, see an awesome show, do an awesome late show, have drinks with friends and swap stupid stories...

11)What goes through your mind, the minute before curtain goes up?
Why do I keep wearing tuxedos that don't breathe

12)What about when you’re on stage?
Keep on topic – I do like going on tangents with the audience, but we're on a schedule here.

13)How easily distracted are you?
See above.

14)Give us your dream comedy line up
This year’s comedy Gala is pretty close…

15)Just finally, where will you be in 5 years’ time
At this time of year? NZ Comedy Fest – nowhere else I'd rather be.

JAMES NOKISE performs his solo show THE BRONAISSANCE (WLG 29 April - 3 May & AKL 6 May - 10 May) while playing host for LATE LAUGHS (on every Fri & Sat night in AKL & WLG during festival time) all as part of the 2014 NZ International Comedy Festival in cahoots with Old Mout Cider 24 April – 18 May. For more info visit www.comedyfestival.co.nz

Comedy Fest Q&A - Paul Douglas

Comedy Fest Q&A - Paul Douglas

Comedy Fest Q&A
PAUL DOUGLAS

1)Tell us the name of your show
Misfortune Favours the Drunk

2)Which came first – the show name or the show content?
Bit of both! The show will consist of about 25% older material and the rest is material and stories specifically for this show.

3)C’mon, be honest….
Do you honestly think that counts as a question? (The Voice of Bane)

4)Any other working titles for the show?
I wanna Paul you off!

5)How long – honestly- have you been working on this?
I was a late addition to the festival (late December I found out) so I have HONESTLY been working on the show in some way or another since then.

6)What’s been the biggest challenge of pulling this show together?
The ordering of the jokes/stories so that the show has a nice flow to it. Am still working on these aspects as we speak!

7)Who’s your biggest comedy rival – and why?
Matt Stellingwerf because he’s a ginger with incredible networking skills

8)Who’s your biggest comedy friend – and why?
Matt Stellingwerf, have spent a lot of time with this guy and we debuted in the NZICF last year in a show together. He’s not as big as he used to be though cause he’s lost some weight.

9)Which show is your must see? Why?
Jim Jefferies, have been a fan of his stand up for some time and his TV show Legit is a breath of fresh air in the sit com department. I also admire comedians that showcase that it’s not so much what you say but how you say it. He gets away with a lot of harsh but brilliant material.

10)Give us your definition of a great night out during the festival
See an early show (like mine! It starts at 7pm 13-17th of May), then have a lateish dinner with a few brews and then catch a later show once you’ve got a bit of a buzz on and a full belly. Also the break between shows will give you time to digest what you’ve just seen before you go to what may be an entirely different show.

11)What goes through your mind, the minute before curtain goes up?
I hope there’s a crowd behind this curtain. But in all seriousness it’s personally the point where my nerves are peaking but you just need to try use them to your advantage.

12)What about when you’re on stage?
My material (hopefully) and also trying to get a read on the crowd to see how they are responding to my material and if there are any on the spots adjustments I need to make.

13)How easily distracted are you?
On stage? Not too easily, my deeper voice can overpower any light talking in the crowd. But in general if I’m not enjoying something I can be distracted very easily.

14)Give us your dream comedy line up
MC Jimmy Carr so he can destroy the audience/hecklers before the first act even comes out. Then followed by Hannibal Burress for the Zany factor, Bill Burr for the no bull shit aspects of his comedy, Louis C.K because he’s at the top of his game and finish the night off with the one and only Billy Connolly because he was an early inspiration for me.

15)Just finally, where will you be in 5 years’ time
Hopefully still doing comedy and living fairly comfortable. I’m not in it for the moolah but would preferably not be living on the streets and hitting open mics.

PAUL DOUGLAS performs in MISFORTUNE FAVOURS THE DRUNK (AKL 13 – 17 May) as part of the 2-14 NZ International Comedy Festival in cahoots with Old Mout Cider 24 April – 18 May. For more info visit www.comedyfestival.co.nz.

Divergent: Movie Review

Divergent: Movie Review

Cast: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Ashley Judd, Jai Courtney, Zoe Kravitz, Miles Teller, Maggie Q
Director: Neil Burger

Here comes the latest YA adventure series to be turned into a cinematic experience - and thankfully, it's more Hunger Games than Twilight.

Shailene Woodley's star continues to soar into the stratosphere as she takes on the role of Beatrice "Tris" Prior, a young girl about to come of age in a dystopian Chicago from the future. The world there is divided into five factions following a war; the factions are decided on by predispositions. In among them, Tris has to choose whether to join Amity (peaceful), Erudite (intelligent), Dauntless (warrior), Candor (honest) and Abnegation (selfless) - but a test at 16 years old to help her decide reveals that she's Divergent, meaning she doesn't fit neatly into one category.

However, Divergents are frowned upon by society, as everybody has their place. Urged by the tester (Maggie Q) to keep that to herself, Tris chooses to be in Dauntless and undergoes a tough training regime that could prove fatal.

But that soon pales into insignificance when she discovers a plot within the seemingly perfect world that could signal an end to everything.

Veronica Roth's novel Divergent was phenomenally popular and all the signs point to the fact the Divergent movie will be the same.

And yes, all of the teenage tropes are present and correct; feeling alienated from society, finding your own identity and gulp, discovering love. (Plus one gratuitously shoe-horned shirt off moment from said crush).

But what sets Divergent apart is the central performance from Woodley, as well as the realisation of the world she inhabits. From the minute the film begins, the dystopian world's perfectly set up thanks to some frank exposition. However, it's Woodley's turn which raises this from yet another Young Adult adventure with its moping heroine, seeking out a partner through adversity. Woodley is tough when needed, but fragile when called upon during the somewhat repetitive training sequences that Tris needs to do to be ensconced in Dauntless' world. All the while, she's juggling the usual tropes from the author of non-conformity, finding a place in the world and eeking out your own existence and identity.

While Divergent's likely to draw parallels with a certain Katniss Everdeen due to the very similar elements of story, love interest and tougher worlds, that's no bad thing given that Woodley imbues Tris with the focus, determination and grit needed to get through the slog of some of the earlier scenes.

But it's towards the end that the film fumbles a little, by throwing in an ending that feels too rushed and overly pacy, killing off characters you're supposed to care for but actually don't due to their lack of screen time and sketchily etched out relationships. It all wraps up a little too easily and conveniently which sounds odd given that there are just over 2 hours 19 minutes of action and story to get through.

An obligatory softening of Tris niggles once she discovers a relationship with Four (Theo James) who's initially frosty towards the newbie but becomes more welcoming as time goes on (complete with compulsory shirtless scene to get female hearts a-fluttering) - but at the end of the day, Roth wrote a Young Adult novel and so can't be expected to work outside of the confines of the genre.

Some of the action sequences from the Dauntless team look like extended Parkour, but all in all, Divergent continues the pleasing trend of the post-Twilight wave of YA - it's a confident start to the series but hopefully, now all the initial exposition and setting up is out of the way, the Divergent series can find a stronger voice and become its own beast.

Rating:

The Grand Budapest Hotel: Movie Review

The Grand Budapest Hotel: Movie Review

Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Tony Revolori, Jeff Goldblum, Jude Law, Saoirse Ronan, Jason Schwartzman, Willem Dafoe, Edward Norton, Adrien Brody
Director: Wes Anderson

Where do you start with Wes Anderson's latest?

The cast-list alone requires an entry page, but the latest from Mr Anderson is both wildly eclectic and yet also wildly - and broadly - accessible.

It's the story of notorious hotel concierge M Gustave (a brilliant comic turn from a wonderfully precise Ralph Fiennes), who during the wars is accused of murder and theft and is forced to go on the run with the hotel Lobby Boy, Zero (Revolori).

As Gustave tries to clear his name, he forms a deep friendship with Zero, but the pair of them find themselves more embroiled in a raging battle for a family fortune than they could ever have expected.

The Grand Budapest Hotel is a flight of lunatic fantasy, stuffed full with whimsy and humour - as well as  anyone who's ever been in an Anderson flick.

But the major plaudits have to go to Fiennes, for a turn that's totally brilliant, deeply unsettling and riotously funny. His Gustave is prone to keeping the majority of his emotions in check, most of the time, then exploding at wildly inopportune moments; it's his comic timing that's impeccable and in some ways, a revelation given how he usually plays straighter roles. Revolori makes an excellent foil too, largely looking bemused or lost as the clandestine intentions of others play out around them; both a pair of swirling fish in a giant whirlpool whipped up around them.

Full of quirk, whimsy and utter lunacy, The Grand Budapest Hotel borders on farce, but delivers nothing but sheer fun, even if the narrative teeters dangerously thin in places as the caper unfolds. It's comical, and yet curiously close to a comic in places, with lashings of Fantastic Mr Fox style animation, this story-within-a-story-within-a-story motif works very well as Anderson's typical MO and also as a showcase of what he's capable of. It's also meticulously put together - with shots being framed perfectly and the aspect ratio of the film changing, depending on which flashback you're in and when. Visually and aesthetically, it's an utter treat, a cinematic smorgasbord of directorial love.

Packed full of stars (all of whom appear to have worked with Anderson before), the film is perhaps one of his broadest yet; witty and verbose, yet never knowingly snooty, or overly whimsical and able to take a moment to celebrate the absurdity of it all. It's a director at their most playful, yet a director who's expanding the look and feel of some of his prior movies to their logical conclusion and widening his viewpoint to include others.

Anchored by two great lead performances, The Grand Budapest Hotel is a comic caper to invest your heart and soul in - and a film to sit back and revel in the sheer frivolity of what transpires on the screen. It's a hotel that's definitely worth checking into.

Rating:

The Deadly Ponies Gang: Movie Review

The Deadly Ponies Gang: Movie Review

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 during the mockumentary style doco. 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.