The Dark Horse is coming to the NZIFF 2014

The Dark Horse is coming to the NZIFF 2014

NEW ZEALAND FILM THE DARK HORSE TO OPEN NZIFF 2014

The New Zealand International Film Festival (NZIFF) today announced that New Zealand film The Dark Horse will have its world premiere at the opening night of the Festival in 2014.
 

The Dark Horse will open NZIFF in Auckland on 17 July at the Civic Theatre and Wellington on 25 July at the Embassy Theatre. The film is directed by James Napier Robertson, produced by Tom Hern, and stars Cliff Curtis (Once Were Warriors, Whale Rider) and James Rolleston (Boy). The Dark Horse is an inspiring true story based on the life of a charismatic, brilliant but little-known New Zealand Hero and Chess champion - Genesis Potini (Gen).

A further 12 New Zealand films are today revealed for the 2014 programme, ten of which will have their world premieres at NZIFF. All feature-length films screening at NZIFF are New Zealand premieres.

“At NZIFF we’ve worked long and hard to create the best possible setting to celebrate and launch the work of our own filmmakers. We’ve been more than amply rewarded this year with the world premiere screening, on our opening night, of The Dark Horse, a film that we know is going to mean a lot to New Zealand audiences for years to come. We’re just as proud to be providing a rousing welcome home to Gerard Johnstone’s hilarious Housebound, which premiered to ecstatic audiences earlier this year at SXSW,” says NZIFF Director Bill Gosden.

“NZIFF will also premiere a further three local features, each of which demonstrates amazing inventiveness on a low budget, and eight New Zealand documentaries covering a diversity of subjects, both local and international,” says Gosden.

The films are:

The Dark Horse (Opening Night Auckland and Wellington, World Premiere)
New Zealand 2014/124 minutes/ M violence, offensive language, drug use
Dir James Napier Robertson
Be the first in the world to acclaim a moving new New Zealand film. Cliff Curtis is superb as the late Genesis Potini, the speed chess champion who passed on his gift to countless East Coast children.

Aunty and the Star People (World Premiere)
New Zealand 2014/82 minutes
Dir Gerard Smyth
In New Zealand, writer Jean Watson is an anonymous elderly woman living in a modest Wellington flat. In southern India she is revered as the famous ‘Jean Aunty’. Gerard Smyth’s documentary explores her fascinating double life.

Cap Bocage (World Premiere)
New Zealand 2014/73 minutes
Dir Jim Marbrook
Jim Marbrook, director of Mental Notes and the original Dark Horse documentary, takes us inside the long environmental campaign that followed the pollution of traditional Kanak fishing grounds in New Caledonia in 2008.

Erewhon (World Premiere)
New Zealand 2014/92 minutes
Dir Gavin Hipkins
For his first feature-length film the widely exhibited New Zealand photographer Gavin Hipkins invests a richly pictorial essay with the 21st-century resonance of Samuel Butler’s lively utopian satire Erewhon, written in 1872.
 

Everything We Loved
New Zealand 2014/100 minutes/Censors rating tbc
Dir Max Currie
A man, a woman and a four-year-old boy retreat to a house outside town. What are they hiding from? Debut writer/director Max Currie staggers the revelations to dramatic effect in this suspenseful psychological drama.

Hot Air (World Premiere)
New Zealand 2014/90 minutes
Dir Alister Barry, Abi King-Jones
In the years since New Zealand politicians began to grapple with climate change our carbon emissions have burgeoned. Alister Barry’s doco draws on TV archives and interviews with key participants to find out why.
 

Housebound
New Zealand 2014/107 minutes/Censors rating tbc
Dir Gerard Johnstone
Welcome home to the Kiwi horror house comedy that took SXSW by storm. Gerard Johnstone’s brilliant genre mash-up stars Rima Te Wiata, Morgana O’Reilly, Glen-Paul Waru and Cameron Rhodes.

Voices of the Land Nga Reo o te Whenua (World Premiere)
New Zealand 2014/96 minutes
Dir Paul Wolffram
Paul Wolffram’s fascinating and eloquent doco about M?ori instrumental traditions accompanies Richard Nunns and Horomona Horo as they perform in a series of remarkable South Island wilderness settings.

notes to eternity (World Premiere)
New Zealand 2014/150 minutes
Dir Sarah Cordery
Renowned critics of Israeli policies – Noam Chomsky, Norman Finkelstein, Sara Roy and Robert Fisk – provide personal substance and historical perspective to their arguments in this impressive film by New Zealander Sarah Cordery.

Orphans and Kingdoms (World Premiere)
New Zealand 2014/84 minutes/Censors rating tbc
Dir Paolo Rotondo
In writer/director Paolo Rotondo’s debut feature, three homeless teenagers break into a deluxe Waiheke Island home and find themselves caught in a tense psychodrama with the conflicted owner.
 

REALITi (World Premiere)
New Zealand 2014/95 minutes/Censors rating tbc
Dir Jonathan King
An up-and-coming media executive has good reason to question the very facts of his existence in this micro-budget sci-fi chiller from director Jonathan King (Black Sheep, Under the Mountain) and novelist Chad Taylor.

Te Awa Tupua: Voices from the River (World Premiere)
New Zealand 2014/67 minutes
Dir Paora Joseph
This beautiful new film from the director of Tatarakihi honours the power and poetry in the stories of Whanganui iwi, past and present, and their longstanding struggle to reclaim guardianship over their ancestral river.

Tumanako/Hope (World Premiere)
New Zealand 2014/90 minutes
Dir Susy Pointon
Many roads lead to the Hokianga in this engaging documentary portrait of several generations of inhabitants: local iwi, long-established farming families, and the alternative lifestylers of the 60s and 70s who put down roots and stayed.

NZIFF will begin in Auckland (17 July – 3 August), open in Wellington one week later (25 July – 10 August), then Christchurch and Nelson (6 – 24 August) and Dunedin (31 July – 17 August) before continuing to travel around New Zealand screening in Timaru, Gore, Hawke’s Bay, Hamilton, Tauranga, Palmerston North, Masterton, and New Plymouth.

NZIFF programmes will be available online and around town from June 24 in Auckland, and June 27 in Wellington. For Festival updates visit www.nziff.co.nz <http://www.nziff.co.nz>  and register to receive e-newsletters.

The Railway Man: Blu Ray Review

The Railway Man: Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by Paramount Pictures

The rather nasty side of war gets a face in this adaptation of the autobiography of Eric Lomax.

Colin Firth dons the glasses and takes the role of Lomax, a former British officer who suffered horrifically as a prisoner of war, forced to work on the construction of the Thai / Burma railway (the Death Railway) during the second World War.

Deeply traumatised by these events in 1942, Lomax is one of many Brits unable to open up over what happened; but his world is changed when he meets Nicole Kidman's Patti, on a train and their relationship blossoms into marriage. But the demons of the past come back to haunt Lomax and Patti's determined to help however she can.

The only one who can rid him of the psychological scars is Lomax himself - and when he finds out that his tormentor is still alive, he faces an awful decision - go back and face the past or live with the effects forever.

The Railway Man is haunting and harrowing, but incredibly powerful stuff despite its somewhat plodding nature.

Tonally, it starts off as a slightly quirky and humorous affair as Firth's Lomax meets Patti on the train, with the British humour present and correct as the flirty yet banal banter about England's greyer towns gets underway. But once the marriage is done, the demons, along with the bailiffs, come knocking at the door and the film shifts its focus to a more dour and darker tone as the horrific reality of the Death Railway is told.

Firth is mesmerising in this - going from lively soul to tortured sallow and sagging wreck as the PTSD kicks in; a younger version played by Jeremy Irvine embodies the stiff upper lip mentality so prevalent during the 40s but it's a hard watch seeing him gradually beaten down during the time on the Death Railway.

Teplitzky could have done with easing up on the score during the flashback sequences as the OST is overpowering and unnecessary as the anguished cries and beatings play out in front of you. The tension's built by a screeching soundtrack, rather than crafting together such powerful imagery from the shocking reality of what occurred. Equally, Kidman is empathetic to start with but her character soon becomes surplus to requirements and is there simply to service the narrative as Uncle (Stellan Skarsgard) tells Lomax's story.

But the moment when Lomax finally meets his torturer in modern day is utterly electrifying and you can hear a pin drop in the audience; sure, it's exactly what you'd expect, but it's not until that point that you realise how invested in these characters you are. And the confrontation isn't as clear cut as you'd believe with both Firth and Sanada giving such nuanced and downbeat performances that you simply can't tear your eyes away.

The Railway Man is one of those films which provides a harrowing insight into a world that none of us these days would ever come close to experiencing. It's just a shame that some minor mis-directions in the story telling rob it of the cathartic feel and tone of forgiveness that's required after nearly 2 hours of aching pain. There's no denying its power lies in Firth's portrayal but an easing back from Teplitzky could have given this piece a subtlety that was undeniable. Instead, it simply strives for obvious tonal choices and offers up something which is more fleetingly affecting than haunting you for long after you've left the cinema.

Extras: Interviews with Colin Firth, Nicole Kidman and director Jonathan Teplitzky

Rating:

UBISOFT E3 2014 press conference

UBISOFT E3 2014 press conference

Get all the details of UBISOFT's plans for the future with this wrap of their press conference at E3.

Grand Theft Auto V is coming to PS4

Grand Theft Auto V is coming to PS4

Grand Theft Auto V Coming this Spring to PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC

We are  proud to announce that the critically-acclaimed and record-breaking Grand Theft Auto V is coming this spring to PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.

Grand Theft Auto V will take full advantage of the power of the PlayStation®4, Xbox One and PC with across-the-board graphical and technical improvements to deliver a stunning new level of detail. Increased draw distances, finer texture details, denser traffic, and enhanced resolutions all work together to bring new life to the cities, towns, deserts and oceans of Rockstar North’s epic reimagining of Southern California. 

Switch between the interconnected lives of Michael, Trevor and Franklin as they embark on a series of heists across Los Santos and Blaine County in the biggest, deepest and richest open world experience yet, with game world enhancements that include new wildlife, upgraded weather and damage effects, and an array of new details to discover.

The new generation upgrades also extend to Grand Theft Auto Online, an ever-evolving Grand Theft Auto universe. Rise through the criminal ranks by banding together to complete Jobs for cash, purchase properties, vehicles and character upgrades, compete in traditional competitive modes, or create your own content to play and share with the Grand Theft Auto community.

All new content and gameplay created since the launch of Grand Theft Auto Online, including an extensive array of new Jobs, an arsenal of new weapons, scores of new vehicles, new properties and player customizations will also be available for the PlayStation®4 system, Xbox One and PC with much more to come. In addition, the current community of players will have the ability to transfer their Grand Theft Auto Online characters and progression to their choice of PlayStation®4, Xbox One or PC.

Grand Theft Auto V for PC will also feature a video editor designed for advanced movie-making.

Watch_Dogs: PS4 Review

Watch_Dogs: PS4 Review

Platform: PS4
Released by Ubisoft

Wow.

Delayed for the launch of the PS4 amid much consternation and gnashing of teeth, Watch_Dogs arrives with a whole heap of expectation on it.

And this open world stealth video game lives up to the hype.

Set in Chicago, you are Aiden Pearce, a vigilante, whose method of getting around is hacking the central operating network, aka cTos, to achieve your ends. Nefarious or otherwise....

But these days, you can't have a hero without a moral dilemma and a story arc. Pearce is out to avenge the death of his niece, and is looking for those who killed her after a robbery he was central to didn't quite go according to plan. So, armed with a smartphone and an ability to go wherever you want, Pearce is on a mission - complete with a world full of citizens to use, exploit or aid in his journey.

Watch_Dogs gives you so much power.

Like Grand Theft Auto V, the scale is pretty impressive - even amid criticisms that it's set within just one city. Personally, the first few hours of the game, after a fiddly opening set piece, was spent just roaming around the world Ubisoft have created, marvelling at the surroundings and also the depth that the world had to it. Each person you walk past is given a character trait by simply pulling up your smartphone and basically accessing cTOS. It must have taken forever to assign all of these and it's a great touch, because unlike other crowd based games, they're all individual and all different, giving the world a genuine feel of a proper cross section of a population.

There's an also an overarching story line here for you to follow, and to be honest, it's very hard at times not to get completely distracted by the world that's been created by Ubisoft. Reliant on your hacking there are a series of ways which you can use and abuse this privilege. From pressing Square around people on the street, you can empty them of portions of their bank balance or listen in to their conversations; if you're in a chase, you can use it to change the traffic lights or pop up bollards, wreaking havoc on any would be pursuers. And then, you can use it to get into the story missions, using cameras to unlock doors and secure areas to access towers (a la Far Cry 3) to open up the world around you. Then there are the minigames within which see you needing to use skill and prowess or wreak havoc - the possibilities are endless in many ways.

People weave into your lives as the story dictates - from Jordi Chen, the smooth operator who helps to a Girl With The Dragon Tattoo-esque hacker who reveals herself early on right down to the quietly spoken menacing bad guy, there's a rich tapestry of life within. Each is involved in Pearce's quest in one way or another (and there are further characters down the line - but to spoil those is to ruin your game) and adds to the mythology and life of Chicago in some form or another.

Combat is smooth as well - from the moment you reveal a gun, it all just gels. But what's even better, is the world reacts to that as well. Pesky passers-by call the cops, presenting you with a dilemma; intimidate them and see if they'll hang up ; or kill them outright to stop your world coming crashing around you. The great thing about it is this is a living breathing world around your character, it's a real step up from the relative lifelessness of the likes of Grand Theft Auto where the side characters do very little.

Along with the characters which you have to interact with, the world of Watch_Dogs is a truly incredible and enjoyable one to be part of. It's the scope of the game which impresses and which will keep you engaged for months to come - particularly with the fact there's due to be plenty of DLC on the way.

Rating:

Transistor: PS4 Review

Transistor: PS4 Review

Platform: PS4
Released by SuperGiant Games

Cyberpunk meets a little bit of sci fi in this game from SuperGiant Games, the studio behind Bastion.

With elements of role playing thrown into this mix, it's something a little bit different, which to be honest, took a little time to get fully used to. You play the character of Red, a diva whose voice has been ripped from her while working in the city of CloudBank. Upon finding a giant sword, called Transistor, Red is compelled to pick it up and carry on her journey through the city.

But Transistor is a rather talkative beast and insists on revealing details from its past as the story progresses. However, escape from the district is not as easy as you'd expect, with Red having to battle various members of the Camerata (who dwell in Cloud Bank) and robots - but thankfully, while wielding an exceptionally large sword with explosive powers, she's got some options...

Transistor is a curious little title, a great mix of the mysterious, cybernetic and steampunkish.

Using the chance to absorb powers, level up and making the most of the Transistor options takes a little time to get your head around. It's not exactly the simplest of systems, but it does end up being one of the most rewarding once you've absorbed power cells from your attackers, it gives you the chance to increase the scope of your attacks.

Visually, Transistor is a beautifully hand-drawn piece that has a divine touch. Its beautiful backgrounds add to the overall flavour of the piece, which is rather unusual overall.

Red gets the chance to get into combat by a cleverly smart method of planning attacks in advance. Using the world around her to hide, she can slip into a "future mode" that will allow her to launch a series of attacks and unleash them before the baddies even have a clue that they're on the way. It's a useful tool which helps in the trickiest of situations and which gives you an advantage that sometimes you need.

Almost BladeRunner-esque in its look and gameplay, Transistor is a game which rewards your patience and efforts - it's a real treat for the PS4 and shows SuperGiant Games are on their way to greatness.

Rating:

47 Ronin: Blu Ray Review

47 Ronin: Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by Universal Home Ent

Keanu Reeves returns to the martial arts world with this story, wrapped in dishonour, magic and vengeance, and based on the 47 Ronin of Japan. Reeves is Kai, a half-breed and outcast living in Feudal Japan. Raised by demons, but rejecting them, he doesn't fit into the world of the samurai, but tries to live by their code. However, he's cast out from them as well - but finds himself part of a group setting out to avenge the death and dishonour of their master at the hands of the evil Lord Kira. But things aren't as easy for Kai and the gang, as a witch (played by Pacific Rim's Rinko Kikuchi) is slinking around, trying to ensure that they fail.

47 Ronin is a curious beast; neither magical nor mystical enough to engage that side of the audience and not exactly brimming with character development to make you care as this quest for vengeance continues afoot. Reeves is characteristically wooden in most of his scenes but he certainly impresses in the fight ones, with clearly some of that Matrix training still there in his background.

Of the rest of the Ronin, barely any outside of Hiroyaka Sanada's disgraced samurai register - the one comedy chubby Ronin gets a few laughs, which immediately marks him out for trouble ahead; but that's half the problem with 47 Ronin, it doesn't have character development or writing to make you care about half of what's unfolding on the screen. Certainly, there's no discussion over why Kai was so desperate to abandon his demon upbringers - just one of the crimes which stops you developing any kind of bond with the heroes within.

The visuals are incredibly flat also - despite some wonderful costumes and colours being painted on the celluloid pallet. The 3D is largely wasted and despite a few visual touches (such as a temple showdown and a final confrontation with Kikuchi's witch), there are moments that you really wish they'd just stuck to a 2D release, with subtitles rather than broken English from the actors.

Themes of honour, regret and retribution are there mingling in the pot, but they're never really brought to narrative boil, and emotion that should be present in suicides, deaths and lost love is curiously lacking. Kikuchi gives a turn that delivers a bit of pantomime villainy, but adds a touch of much needed OTT to the final mix.

47 Ronin could have been more - but by choosing not to embrace one thing or another, lacking in the action department and cooking up something that's way overlong, director Rinsch and the writers have concocted something which won't be remembered one way or the other - which, believe it or not, is a real shame for a legend that's supposedly resonated throughout the years.

Extras: Deleted scenes, reforging the legend, the fights, the myths and FX

Rating: