NZIFF 2015 - Revealing the Cannes selection

NZIFF 2015 - Revealing the Cannes selection

The 2015 Cannes List With the Auckland and Wellington programme launch fast approaching, we give you one final sneak peek into the 2015 line-up with 17 titles direct from Cannes. It’s a scramble every year to tie down the films we want from Cannes when we can’t see them until a fortnight before our deadline, but somehow we’ve done it again. Our programmer Sandra Reid went into Cannes knowing a handful of titles would be held back for the US Awards seasons, but otherwise it was a matter of zeroing in on everything else that looked exciting. Which was a lot. Obviously. We’ve emerged with a fantastic variety, from outrageous comedy, to meditative Thai art cinema to a charming French memoir of youthful love and adventure.

From the Competition Winning the award for Best Director, Hou Hsiao-hsien's The Assassin arrives on New Zealand shores this winter alongside Jury Prize winner The Lobster and The Measure of a Man, which won the Best Actor prize for Vincent Lindon's moving performance. Adding to the NZIFF line-up from the Official Competition is Nanni Moretti's Mia madre, Kore-eda's Our Little Sister and the wicked Tale of Tales from Matteo Garrone.

Un Certain Regard The Un Certain Regard category at Cannes supplements the competition selection by recognising fresh talent and daring new films, and we are delighted to confirm three titles from this section. Fans of Apichatpong Weerasethakul (Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives) will want to bookmark the entrancing Cemetery of Splendour. Also keeping a gentle pace is Lamb, the first Ethiopian film to play Cannes, andRams, an Icelandic comedy/drama that was the jury and audience favourite in the Un Certain Regard section.

Out of Competition Never one to shy from the Incredibly Strange, Gaspar Noé's Love 3D has been added to Ant Timpson’s 2015 line-up. Also from Out of Competition is our early announcement title Amy from Asif Kapadia (Senna).

Directors' Fortnight The Directors' Fortnight was super strong this year and provided us with the largest number of films (and some of the longest titles), notably the three volume Arabian Nights by Miguel Gomez. The Brand New Testament,Embrace of the Serpent and Mustang also head to NZIFF along with My Golden Days and the previously announced Dope. And slashing its way in to the Incredibly Strange programme is Miike's Yakuza Apocalypse: The Great War of the Underworld.

Cannes Classics Rounding out our direct-from-Cannes line-up is Steve McQueen: The Man & Le Mans from the Classics category. A lavishly illustrated doco that explores the making of Steve McQueen’s ill-fated Hollywood epic, Le Mans, McQueen fans and racing enthusiasts alike will revel in the records of a bygone era with the undisputed king of cool.

5 Flights Up: Film Review

5 Flights Up: Film Review

Cast: Morgan Freeman, Diane Keaton, Cynthia Nixon
Director: Richard Loncraine

Based on the novel Heroic Measures by Jill Ciment, 5 Flights Up arrives to claim the affections of the slightly older generation.

Freeman and Keaton star as Alex and Ruth, an inter-racial couple married for years and who have been living in New York for the majority of their lives. Deciding to sell up, the pair begin to dip their toes into the market at the same time as a suspected terrorist causes mayhem on the Brooklyn Bridge by abandoning a truck and as their dog and long time companion undergoes major surgery.

Flashbacks and voiceover (all usually precipitated by Morgan Freeman glancing wistfully into the distance) make up the majority of this film with a growing reliance on the hysterically OTT way the media's speculatively reporting on the potential bomber about to bring down NY again.

If anything, 5 Flights Up is a gentle love letter to New York, with fanciful flights into the past awkwardly jammed into the middle of proceedings.

While Keaton and Freeman easily work together during the onslaught of kooks and out there house hunters, 5 Flights Up suffers from a slightly bizarre series of sideplots that seem to exist purely to extend the initial scenario of Ruth and Alex looking to sell and buy a home.

Keaton becomes increasingly more flighty as the film progresses and borders on irritating amid the ocean of calm that is Freeman. While the film borders on gentle throughout, its constant mish-mashing of odd sub-plots, brief flashbacks that add very little to the central relationship and a motley real estate vibe papers over the cracks created by a wistfully reminiscent piece.

Perhaps the biggest question comes over the flashback that hints that Ruth and Alex's inter-racial relationship would have been scandalous; but even that is skirted over for fear of giving the emotional edge that the film potentially needs.

More a love-letter to a New York of the past, where views, shots of the Brooklyn Bridge and a neighbourly community has now been sidelined in favour of smart-phone lugging ignoramuses, 5 Flights Up is simply summed up in the old adage - It's all about the journey, because the ultimate destination is somewhat of a disappointment.

Rating:

Star Wars Battlefront E3 2015 trailer

Star Wars Battlefront E3 2015 trailer

The new Star Wars Battlefront trailer dropped at E3 2015

Take a look below

The Walking Dead - Michonne Game is coming

The Walking Dead - Michonne Game is coming

Telltale Games and Skybound Announce The Walking Dead: Michonne - A Telltale Games Mini-Series to Premiere This Fall   Three-Episode Mini-Series Featuring Iconic Comic Book Character Announced at 2015's Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles

SAN RAFAEL, Calif., June. 15, 2015 -- Leading publisher of digital entertainment Telltale Games and Robert Kirkman, the Eisner Award-winning creator and writer of The Walking Dead for his Skybound imprint at Image Comics, announced today a new installment for the best-selling and award-winning The Walking Dead: A Telltale Games Series franchise set to premiere later this fall. The Walking Dead: Michonne - A Telltale Games Mini-Series stars the iconic character from the comic book series haunted by her past and coping with unimaginable loss and regret. The story explores her untold journey during the time between issues #126 and #139. Through this Telltale Games mini-series of 3 episodes, players will discover what took Michonne away from Rick, Ezekiel, and the rest of her trusted group... and what brought her back. Premiering this fall, The Walking Dead: Michonne will be available for download on PC/Mac from the Telltale Online Store, Steam, and other digital distribution services, the PlayStation®Network for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3, the Xbox Games Store for Xbox One® and Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, compatible iOS devices via the App Store, and Android-based devices via Google Play and the Amazon App Store. Players will require at least the first episode of The Walking Dead: Season Two in order to play The Walking Dead: Michonne. Further information about how to access the mini-series will be made available closer to the premiere. "In many ways, Michonne herself is a reflection of the world of The Walking Dead. She is brutal and cold on the outside, but deep beneath what is broken, she remains hopeful, trying to claw her way out of the darkness that surrounds her,"said Robert Kirkman, creator of The Walking Dead. "In our effort to bring the world of the comic and the world of the Telltale series closer together, there is no greater character than Michonne to help bridge that gap." "Michonne's complexity and range make her an ideal lead for the compelling interactive drama fans have come to expect from Telltale," said Kevin Bruner, Co-Founder and CEO of Telltale Games. "With this mini-series, players will experience Michonne's challenges first-hand, and the choices they make will shape her journey. We're incredibly honored by Robert for the opportunity to share this untold story in The Walking Dead universe." To date, The Walking Dead: A Telltale Games Series has sold more than44 million episodes worldwide, earning more than 100 Game of the Year awards from outlets including Metacritic, USA Today, Wired, Spike TV VGAs, Yahoo!, The Telegraph, Mashable, Polygon, Destructoid andGamesRadar, and was also the recipient of two BAFTA Video Games Awards for Best Story and Best Mobile Game. The Walking Dead is set in the world of Robert Kirkman's award-winning comic book series and offers an emotionally-charged, tailored game experience where a player's actions and choices affect how their story plays out across the entire series. For more information on the game, visit the official website, Facebook, and follow Telltale Games on Twitter. For more information on The Walking Dead, Robert Kirkman, and all of his titles, visit www.Skybound.com andwww.TheWalkingDead.com.

FIFA 16 - E3 2015 reveal

FIFA 16 - E3 2015 reveal

Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) today announced that EA SPORTS™ FIFA 16 delivers Innovation Across the Entire Pitch in gameplay, helps all fans Compete at a Higher Level with FIFA Trainer, and brings New Ways to Play by introducing Women’s National Teams to the franchise. At the heart of FIFA 16, innovative gameplay* features will deliver a balanced, authentic, and exciting football experience that lets fans play their way

Need for Speed E3 2015

Need for Speed E3 2015

Ghost Games™, an Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) studio, is bringing together 20 years of history and inspiration from some of the most beloved games in the venerable franchise, to create the definitive Need for Speed™ experience.

The new Need for Speed introduces compelling and innovative gameplay through Five Ways to Play – Speed, Style, Build, Crew, and Outlaw. Each drives your Need for Speed game through an interconnected narrative. Built around five real world automotive icons, each of whom is a hero of today’s car culture, they will inspire the player to experience all Five Ways to Play. Earn their respect and build your reputation on your journey to become the ultimate icon.

Mirror's Edge Catalyst is on way

Mirror's Edge Catalyst is on way

 DICE™, an Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) studio, today announced that Mirror’s Edge™ Catalyst  will be available February 25, 2016 in Australia and February 26, 2016 in  New Zealand. 

Mirror’s Edge Catalyst immerses players in the origin story of Faith, and her rise from a careless young woman to a heroine who opens the eyes of an entire city. 

Featuring fluid movement and combat in a massive city where you can run free and explore, Mirror’s Edge Catalyst adds a new level of immersion to action adventure games by putting you in the first person perspective. You are not just watching Faith’s fight for freedom, you will experience it through her eyes