First trailer for TICKLED

First trailer for TICKLED

Kiwi audiences will get their first look at the hotly anticipated documentary Tickled with the release of the films official trailer. 

Probing into the bizarre world of Competitive Endurance Tickling, Tickled follows journalist David Farrier as he tries to understand this strange and secretive world. Facing fierce resistance on his quest for answers, David and co-director Dylan Reeve take their questions to the USA in attempt to get to the bottom of a story stranger than fiction.

The film premiered to critical acclaim at this year’s Sundance Film Festival with The Hollywood Reporter calling it ‘A fascinating, stranger than fiction exposé’ while Variety described it as a 'An alarming cautionary tale'.

Director David Farrier can’t believe how far the Tickled project has come.

“The story of Tickled is a story that seems to keep on giving,” says Farrier. “Since screening at Sundance all sorts of strange things have happened including police removing two people from a screening in Missouri because they were apparently private detectives trying to record the film. It’s strange to think that all this stemmed from a simple request for an interview about a strange sport called Competitive Endurance Tickling.”

Reeve is excited to be able to finally show a taste of this project to the world.

“When we decided this story was worthy of a documentary we had no idea it would end up like this. Releasing the trailer today makes it all seem real - we can now give people a taste of what this movie is.”

Also announced today is news that Vendetta Films will release Tickled in NZ Cinemas from May 26th. A gala premiere as part of the New Zealand Film Festival Autumn Events Series will be held on April 13th at Auckland’s Civic Theatre followed by a second screening at Wellington’s Embassy Theatre on April 22nd. Tickets for the Auckland premiere event is on sale now with the Embassy screening on sale from April 2nd.  A US release date has also been set for June 24th.

Tickled was financed by the New Zealand Film Commission and MPI Media Group. The film is repped by Magnolia Pictures, also distributing in North America. The Magnolia deal and US HBO license were negotiated by Submarine at the Sundance Film Festival. The New Zealand and Australian distributor is Vendetta Films. 

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2: Film Review

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2: Film Review

Cast: Nia Vardalos, John Corbett, Elena Kampouris, Lainie Kazan, Michael Constantine
Director: Kirk Jones

It's not easy being Greek, as a paraphrased amphibian might once have intoned.

And it's certainly not easy following up a sleeper hit from nearly a decade and a half ago (just ask Zoolander 2 about that same problem).

This time around, Nia Vardalos' Toula is suffering from feeling like she is in a rut, is smothering her own daughter Paris and is struggling with a lack of spark within her marriage to John Corbett's Ian as she tries to juggle the incessant chirping entourage of her family.

But, she barely has time to herself, when it is revealed her parents Gus and Maria weren't actually married properly a half century ago.

So, when Maria decides to enjoy some freedom and Gus decides to pursue the route to arrogance, it is up to Toula to work on the old adage of family and that "just when she thought she was out, they pulled her back in again".

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 is a Greek tragedy by all accounts, a retro movie that is of its time and that fails in its quest to achieve its former glories.

Sure, the old messages and time honoured tropes of finding time for yourselves later in life, of letting your siblings free to live their own lives and of loving family for all their foibles are all there on show. There are even lines like "We Greeks see no difference between hugging and strangulation" to give insights into the over-bearing nature of family and Toula's in particular.

But they are whipped together and put through the tiresome microscope of attempts to reflect Greek cultures that feels particularly strained and weak this time around. The biggest problem is a script that appears over-stuffed yet bizarrely enough, under developed. Also it's the weak humour that relies on punch line of extended family appearing to embarrass and it soon becomes increasingly tiresome. It really is a case of "Abandon all Opa ye who enter".

If anything, even Vardalos looks tired and weary in parts of the film that increasingly relies on the older end of the family to drive any semblance of a paper-thin plot and they flounder, delivering growing elements of an entirely weak and utterly predictable sentimental plot that fails to hit any of the right notes. The world has moved on and in many ways, this film feels like it's been left behind.

I'm willing to concede that perhaps an older audience looking to be mildly engaged by the likes of this retro film will find something in it to enjoy.

But the escalating squabbling and over-bearing nature of the whole family in My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 helps it shake off the earnestness and charm of the first film, and leaves you with a feeling that this is one Greek feast you don't want to repeat on you.

Sleeping With Other People: Blu Ray Review

Sleeping With Other People: Blu Ray Review

Rating: M
Released by Madman Home Ent

Billed as a rom-com for the Tindr generation, Sleeping with Other People is actually a sweet-natured film with a bit of filth and funny thrown in for good measure.

It centres on Lainey (Community star Alison Brie) and Jake (Horrible Bosses' Jason Sudeikis), who lost their virginity to each other in college. Years later, the pair bump into each other at a sex addicts' meeting; Lainey's continual cheating with her college sweetheart Matthew Sobvechik (Parks and Rec star Adam Scott) has sabotaged her latest relationship; and Jake's sleeping with his current girlfriend's sister has done the same.

Pledging to become platonic friends, the pair re-connect and find other romantic entanglements - but is their decision a la When Harry Met Sally likely to be their undoing?

Sleeping With Other People has moments of fresh-faced comedy, mixed in with the usual base kind of humour you'd expect from Sudeikis' typical schtick. And yet, thanks to Sudeikis' being dialled back and underplaying of it all, both he and Brie make an eminently watchable couple - even if it's clear from about a third of the way through where this is going.

Brie's Lainey is particularly interesting as Brie subtly plays her as someone continually on the edge of a breakdown because of her addiction to her ex; clearly, that relationship is not good for her, but there will be many for whom the reality hits quite close to the mark, particularly in a world where connection is becoming increasingly distant and more socially led. (Plus when she teaches 7 year olds to dance while on ecstasy, she gives good shock tactics)

Sudeikis is really a toned-down shade of everything we've seen before of him; his instructional on how to masturbate to Lainey is an example though of how the crassness of the film is swathed in a sweetness that's more likely to resonate than alienate.

Ultimately, the drive to bring them together is obvious from the beginning and so much so that Headland fails to really utilise the other relationships to create any kind of friction or inherent tension. Both Lainey and Jake end up seeing perfectly decent people (Lainey's love interest is good dad Marc Blucas and Jake actively pursues boss with kid played by Amanda Peet) but those characters dwindle away in the face of the fact this duo should be together. It's a mistake from Headland and certainly a waste of those talents - even if you argue that nice people are collateral, they still need a dramatic oomph to repay the investment.

However, while Sleeping With Other People's leads are perfectly fine, the film belongs to Jake's friend and married couple, played by Andrea Savage and Jason Mantzoukas. Their bickering and admiration for each other sees them worthy of more screen time (something the post film credits wisely uses) as they capture the essence of longevity in a relationship and the pros and cons of being with one person.

The gentle Sleeping With Other People has highs and lows, but the peaks outweigh the troughs easily - thanks to some reasonable chemistry, a script that zings and a cliche that's pleasantly played out, it hits where it should and will resonate with its target audience.

Rating:

Luther Season 4: DVD Review

Luther Season 4: DVD Review

Rating: M
Released by BBC and Roadshow Home Ent

This fourth season of Luther feels more like a book-end than a full literary feast.

At just 2 hour long eps, the mini series feels truncated and scrambled, rather than stunning and immersive.

In the latest ep, John Luther (a weary Idris Elba) has left the force and is retired. But when his nemesis appears to have been killed, he is pulled back into the criminal world. And things are further complicated when a killer appears proving difficult to the force and harder to trace.

Luther's first ep is a great set up- it's a nicely constructed, tautly complex piece of criminal and psychological fare, that potentially will alienate those who don't know the series' backstory.

Unfortunately the second ep is a jumbled concoction of too much going on, a convenient wrap up and a denouement that's hardly deeply engaging. It doesn't help that a new case is brought into the ep midway and wrapped up; it's awkward at best and confusing at worst.

Despite the addition of Game of Thrones star Rose Leslie to the proceedings, the series works best when it's Luther alone, engaging in a game of wits and a sense that he's succumbing to the darkness. It's here Elba employs his perfect touch, but the rest of the serial doesn't quite hit the heights, thanks to its wrapping up of ep 2.

Beautifully shot and with pristine cinematography, Luther Season 4 looks great, so it's just a shame the packaging doesn't quite hold the thrill of the outer coverings.

Hunt For The Wilderpeople: Film Review

Hunt For The Wilderpeople: Film Review

Cast: Julian Dennison, Sam Neill, Rachel House, Rhys Darby
Director: Taika Waititi

Turning Barry Crump's novel "Wild Pork and Watercress" into a distinctly family film populated with quintessentially quirky Kiwi characters, future Thor Ragnarok director Taika Waititi has got a guaranteed hit on his hands (and one which has already taken Sundance by storm).

It's the story of Ricky Baker (the charmingly cheeky but eminently human Julian Dennison), a wannabe chubby gangster whose ping-ponging between foster carers lands him at the remote farm of overly enthusiastic Brenda (Housebound's Rima Te Wiata) and gruff bushman Uncle Hec (Sam Neill).

But tragedy strikes, and the authorities (led by Rachel House's stuffily up-herself Child Welfare member Paula) decide that Ricky's future lies back in foster care. However, Ricky doesn't want that and so goes on the run in the bush - inadvertently teaming up with Hec and sparking a nationwide man-hunt, under the belief Hec's kidnapped him and gone mad...

In Hunt For The Wilderpeople, Waititi's crafted something that will have a broad family appeal.

Essentially light in touch, but with obligatory yet subtle moments of sentiment and drama, Hunt for the Wilderpeople hits the right tone from the start.

Meshing comedy with Waititi's trademark quick cuts proves to be the killer intro to Julian Dennison's soon to be Kiwi icon Ricky Baker.

But as well as injecting Dennison's character with some brilliant quips, Waititi's smart enough to ensure this kid has moments of realism and sadness bubbling under. A thread about fostering and the effects on others simmers quietly and sadly underneath, appearing when least expected but never manipulated for emotional effect, ensuring that the melancholy subtlety touches hit with tragic-effect.

Dennison steals every scene he's in, landing each moment with a self-assuredness that's frighteningly good. Equally, Sam Neill's gruff Uncle Hec captures many a truism and a down bush Kiwi approach that will win over many audiences both locally and internationally. It's their straight roles which impress in a world of bush buffoonery.

And that's where the strengths of Hunt For The Wilderpeople lie - its broadness and universality. Waititi's pulled together a piece that revels among the quirk of the Kiwi characters but keeps it reined in so that it's not totally a cartoonish piece. It's a cross between The Fugitive, The Revenant and Thelma and Louise but with heart and humour and through the prism of Taika Waititi.

However, Hunt for The Wilderpeople, even though it's drawn from Barry Crump's source material (and even plays on one of his infamous lines about how things are about to get bumpy) is resolutely Taika's film. The scale of it is genius and while a car chase at the end is essentially classic farce, Taika delivers the chaos of it with a clarity and an assuredness that never loses sight of the action. It's a sign that this director is drawing deep and delivering bigger, which promises great things for Thor's latest outing. Equally, there's a montage sequence which will have used some digital trickery but essentially folds all elements of various groups chasing Hec and Ricky into one rotating diorama tapestry and it's dizzyingly exciting and clever.
 
In among the riotous set pieces and the broad comedy, there's tremendous heart in Hunt For the Wilderpeople. 

Buoyed by two great lead performances, it's destined to become another classic at the local box office and may even surpass the success of Boy in our affections - no mean feat by any stretch of the imagination.

Rating:

Newstalk ZB Review - London Has Fallen, 45 Years and The Night Before

Newstalk ZB Review - London Has Fallen, 45 Years and The Night Before

This week with Jack Tame sees a chat and review of Gerard Butler's London Has Fallen, Charlotte Rampling's Oscar nominated 45 Years and on DVD Seth Rogen's The Night Before.

http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/saturday-mornings-with-jack-tame/audio/darren-bevan-london-has-fallen-45-years-the-night-before/

Kung Fu Panda 3: Film Review

Kung Fu Panda 3: Film Review

Cast: Jack Black, Bryan Cranston, Dustin Hoffman, JK Simmons, Angelina Jolie
Director: Jennifer Yuh, Jonathan Aibel

Battling both demons external and internal, Po's return in Kung Fu Panda 3 is a frenetic family filled blast of pure cinematic animated joy.

This time around, the Jack Black voiced cuddly panda is on a quest to answer the age old question of "Who am I?" when he is appointed teacher by master Che Fu.

However, his existential crisis is threatened with being derailed when two events occur - the return of his father, voiced with warmth by Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston, and the arrival of JK Simmons' baddie Kai, a Kratos-like double blade wielding creature from the spirit world who's chi- stealing ways are a remnant of a 500 year old fight with master Ugwe.

So with Po's universe literally and figuratively about to be torn apart, the fight is on - but in true dumb skull panda fashion.

There's a heart and warmth to Kung Fu Panda 3 that's there from the start and leaps out from the screen as it mixes the story with some truly astounding animation, that blends its Eastern influences with ease.

Coupled with Po's trademark loveable dim-wittedness, the film makes great fist of its animation and its mystical trappings to weave together a story that wraps up all the threads and feels as rounded as the bear's belly, filled with dumplings.

While the original gang is sidelined a little by the threat of Kai and Po's heading out on his own, the frenzied pace of the film never stops. In fact, its unrelenting pace at the start grows near wearisome but will be adored by ADHD kids fed on a continual diet of quick cut zaniness as the story moves breakneck speed to where it needs to.

After about 40 minutes, King Fu Panda 3 slows and the result of doing so is welcome (even if some of the emotional heft of a reunion with pops  is lacking) as well as visually resounding.

With its message of two fathers being pertinent in this day and age of broken families and its resolve of we can make the difference together, Kung Fu Panda 3 delivers the requisite learnings to its family friendly audience without too much of a lecturing.

Complete with some truly impressive animation that blends greens, yellows and other hues from its palette to its Eastern mythological trappings, Kung Fu Panda 3 shows the franchise is in rude health, and is showing no sign of losing any of the creative resolve or charm of its central character as time goes on.

Rating: