NZ’s Best Shorts Guest Selector Announced

NZ’s Best Shorts Guest Selector Announced

NZIFF continue to appoint prominent NZ filmmakers to select the latest and best in NZ short films with Lee Tamahori confirmed as Guest Selector for the 2016 New Zealand’s Best competition.

Five to six selected New Zealand shorts will premiere in Auckland, Wellington, Dunedin and Christchurch where audiences are encouraged to vote for their favourite short from Tamahori’s shortlist. Previous Guest Selectors have included Christine Jeffs (2015), Andrew Adamson (2014), Alison Maclean (2013), and Roger Donaldson (2012).

Lee Tamahori began his extensive career directing commercials, founding long-running commercial production company Flying Fish. His debut feature film Once Were Warriors is one of the highest-grossing NZ films of all time and led him to a Hollywood career which includes Mulholland Falls and Die Another Day. Tamahori’s latest feature film Mahana, based on the Witi Ihimaera novel Bulibasha and starring Temuera Morrison, was released in NZ cinemas in March.

“We are honoured to have Lee Tamahori as our Guest Selector of the 2016 New Zealand’s Best shorts competition. We see great value for the contenders in having a filmmaker of Lee’s experience and accomplishment respond to their work. We received 81 short film submissions which have been shortlisted to 12 for Lee to consider.” says NZIFF director Bill Gosden.

This year’s NZ’s Best finalists will be eligible for a total of three prizes. Madman Entertainment will again support the title award, the Madman Entertainment Best Short Film Award. The cash prize of $5000 is donated by the Australasian distribution company. The winner will be chosen by a three person jury appointed by NZIFF and Madman Entertainment.

The participation of Sir James Wallace together with the Wallace Foundation and Wallace Media Ltd will continue the Friends of the Civic Award. The Wallace Foundation stepped in last year to fund the award after the dissolution of the longstanding donors, the Friends of the Civic. The Wallace Friends of the Civic Award will be a cash prize of $3000 awarded to the film or contributor to a film deemed to merit special recognition. Sir James and Wallace Media Ltd Associate Producer Grae Burton will select this year’s winner.

The Audience Choice Award will be selected by audience members who attend the NZ's Best screenings in Auckland and Wellington. Audience members will be invited to rank the finalists and the film that receives the highest rating will win a 25% share of the box office takings from the New Zealand's Best screenings in the four main centres.

NZ films at NZIFF are proudly supported by Resene. NZIFF is run by a charitable trust and encourages lively interactions between films, filmmakers and New Zealand audiences in 13 towns and cities around the country. The full NZIFF programme will be available from Tuesday 21 June for Auckland, and Friday 24 June for Wellington. NZIFF starts in Auckland on 14 July and in Wellington from 22 July in 2016.

Neerja: Film Review

Neerja: Film Review

Cast: Sonam Kapoor, Parth Akerkar, Shabana Azmi
Director: Ram Madhvani

The greatest crime of Neerja, the film that's already been a hit on the New Zealand Bollywood circuit, is that you choose not to see it because it's a Bollywood film.

In truth, while the DNA of this gripping portrayal of Pan Am purser Neerja Bhanot, who was the youngest person ever given India's highest order of bravery, shares some similarities with a Bollywood film (there's dancing at the start at a family celebration and a love story within), it's anything but a traditional perception of a Bollywood film, and puts itself in a similar category with Paul Greengrass' United 93.

It's the story of Neerja (Kapoor), whose Pan Am Flight 73 was hijacked on the ground at Karachi Airport in September 1986 by terrorists who wanted their captive brothers freed. With over 370 passengers and crew on board, Neerja found herself in the eye of a storm and found strength when it was needed most.

Utterly gripping and compelling, the biographical drama Neerja is single-handedly one of the most sickening and inspiring films ever witnessed.

Shorn of the usual trappings of the genre (light colours, the film's palette is soaked in murky yellows and looks like it was shot as part of a 24 spin-off series that never happened), the film's simplicity and sickening suspense come from slick story-telling and an entirely open performance from its lead.

Inter-cut with flashbacks to Neerja's first failed marriage at the hands of a bully, this is essentially the ages old tale of an abused victim finding her inner strength when it matters most and exuding humanity when man does its worst.

The only minor mis-step is the portrayal of the passing of time during portions of the hijack, with no real idea how much time's gone at a crucial juncture. But this is the briefest of flaws in an otherwise incredible cinematic experience.

Granted, there is sentiment in the briefest of some of the early scenes (Neerja's mother fretting because the ring she gifted her daughter for safety in the air has gone missing, Neerja's burgeoning relationship with the love she should have had, Jaideep), but what transpires when the plane is over-run is nothing short of gut-wrenchingly sickening as well as incredibly taut and powerful.

While Madhvani masterfully ratchets up the tension to edge-of-your-seat levels, it's Kapoor who grounds the film and keeps you invested from beginning to end. Her performance is entirely plausible, entirely unshowy and ultimately inspiring, given how the real life Neerja rose up to the terror of the situation.

Shot simply and with a veneer that's better than some Hollywood blockbusters, Neerja is completely unmissable. A gripping drama that makes good on its central tenet (Neerja's constantly told to live a life that's big not long), it would be nothing short of a crime to dismiss Neerja.

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Dishonored 2 release date unveiled

Dishonored 2 release date unveiled

DISHONORED® 2 AVAILABLE WORLDWIDE NOVEMBER 11, 2016

World Gameplay Premiere on June 12^th at Bethesda’s E3 Showcase

May 3, 2016 (London, UK) – Bethesda Softworks®, a ZeniMax® Media company, today announced Dishonored 2 will release worldwide on Friday, November 11, 2016 for the Xbox One, PlayStation® 4 computer entertainment system and PC. Dishonored 2 is the highly-anticipated first-person action game under development at Arkane Studios, and the follow-up to the 2012 ‘Game of the Year’, Dishonored.

The world premiere of Dishonored 2 gameplay will take place during Bethesda’s 2016 E3 Showcase being held in Los Angeles, California on June 12^th beginning at 7pm PST, and streamed live around the world via Twitch and YouTube.

Reprise your role as a supernatural assassin in Dishonored 2 – the next chapter in the award-winning Dishonored saga by Arkane Studios. Play your way in a world where mysticism and industry collide. Will you choose to play as Empress Emily Kaldwin or the royal protector, Corvo Attano? Will you make your way through the game unseen, make full use of its brutal combat system, or use a blend of both? How will you combine your character’s unique set of powers, weapons and gadgets to eliminate your enemies? The story responds to your choices, leading to intriguing outcomes, as you play through each of the game’s hand-crafted missions. 

ONE PIECE BURNING BLOOD Developer Diary #1 Released

ONE PIECE BURNING BLOOD Developer Diary #1 Released

Watch our exclusive developer diary with the team behind the upcoming One Piece Burning Blood. Look forward to three more videos as we get closer to the launch on June 3rd 2016!

Blood Bowl 2: The Norse team charges from the far north onto the field!

Blood Bowl 2: The Norse team charges from the far north onto the field!

Winter is coming to Blood Bowl 2 on PS4, Xbox One and PC 

Blood Bowl 2, the sequel to the video game adaptation of Games Workshop's famous board game that combines American football with the fantasy world of Warhammer, welcomes a new race on its pitch: The Norse. The new screenshots show off the fearsome Norse players, their impressive Big Guy and their bestial Star Players - all included in the Norse DLC available today on PS4, Xbox One and PC.

To respect the PC players of the first Blood Bowl game, which accumulated 23 races through 3 paying editions - we have heard their frustration - we decided to create the FOUNDERS INCENTIVE for PC players of Blood Bowl 2: players will receive the Norse, the Undead, the Necromantic and the Nurgle teams for free, as long as they purchased the game before the races release.



The Norse Team

Hailing from a far north peninsula of the Old World, Norsca, the Norse are fearsome warriors who naturally benefit from the Block skill - making a Norse line one of the more resilient Blood Bowl defensive walls. Norse players also have low Armour value, meaning they're built for dishing out damage, not taking it. We're excited to see how new Norse Coaches plan around the team's weaknesses and exploit their strengths.

The Norse DLC pack includes new types of players, including the Ulfwerener. These werewolves encourage damage-dealing plays with their high Strength and their brutal Frenzy skill. The Norse Big Guy is the Yhetee, a vicious Snow Troll with Claws built for shredding high armoured players. Finally, two Star Players are joining the Norse: Icepelt Hammerblow, Yhetee, and Wilhelm Chaney, Ulfwerener. 

VEEP: The Complete fourth season: DVD Review

VEEP: The Complete fourth season: DVD Review

Rating: R13
Released by Roadshow Home Ent and HBO

Seinfeld's Julia Louis Dreyfus continues her trajectory to America's comedic sweetheart with this latest seasons of the political comedy that's garnered her plenty of critical acclaim.

Starring as the president Selina Meyer, this latest season sees the likes of Hugh Laurie joining the comedy as Tom James alongside the likes of Anna Chlumsky and Tony Hale.

Razor sharp writing and an unique style help the season transition from contenders to White House dwellers, but as ever with VEEP, there are continuing situations to get under control from data breaches to freeing journalists.

As ever, VEEP manages the satirical incredibly well and thanks to the impressive work by the ensemble cast, the series is a must watch for any fans of comedy.

Captain America: Civil War: Film Review

Captain America: Civil War: Film Review

Cast: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr, Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Don Cheadle, Anthony Mackie, Jeremy Renner, Elisabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Paul Rudd, Tom Holland
Directors: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo

That the latest Captain America is perhaps one of the better Marvel entrants should come as no surprise, given how strong the first two of this trilogy have been.

That it achieves this with a taut mix of action, thrills, a re-invented Spider-man and a film of some degree of consequence should be no surprise either.

But that it manages to blindside you in its final act is the real surprise of the piece, whipping the carpet with such aplomb from under your weary cynical expectations of where the story may go.

Taking a lead from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the 13th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is all about collateral damage, both of the physical and emotional variety.

When Captain America's team inadvertently cause a series of deaths and destruction while trying to save the world, pressure grows to build a system of accountability for the Avengers and their ilk. But the proposed status quo fractures the Avengers, with Robert Downey Jr's Tony Stark in favour of it after his conscience is pricked by a mother whose son died in the events of Age of Ultron.  

However, Chris Evans' plucky straight arrow Steve Rogers isn't as in favour, fearing the bureaucracy could limit their abilities to save the world... and so, a show down is set between long time friends and new potential enemies.

Distraction is the name of a lot of the game here (complete with plenty of globe-trotting and juggling many balls in the air): and while many will head to this slightly overlong flick with the delicious anticipation of an Avengers internal clash (which delivers in a set piece that does what you'd expect), the larger joy in among all the buzz of the clearly and concisely executed CGI clashing, is that Captain America Civil War has the smarts to realise the smaller emotional moments of devastation as sides are drawn and friendships tested are where the true strength of the red white and blue lie. 

Captain America: Civil War is a film where the veracity of character moments shine and where the strength lies (something perhaps Guardians of the Galaxy realised earlier on and went to more comic extremes thereof) and not a routine rote CGI Smash-and-grab ending that has blighted the rest of these films.

It's in the heart of the film and the heart within the film that the success of this one lies - Cap's main raison d'etre is to do right by his old pal Bucky aka The Winter Soldier (Stan in an expanded role from previous outings) and his ethics come into direct contrast and clash with Stark's ideologies. The series has been building to this - and that it pays that set up off well is perhaps testament to not only the investment we've had in the characters but that also our patience to get to this point was tested too.

Both Evans and Downey Jr rise to the occasion, underplaying their hands respectively and helping ground the film in a more human edge that it needs.

It also helps that Captain America: Civil War proffers up some thrilling set pieces of action that dazzle with effortless ease, as well as some throwaway humour to enhance the engagement. 

When the visceral action is shorn of the CGI trickery, there are chase scenes that elicit gasps and dazzle with their freshness of execution - both Joe and Anthony Russo have managed to up the game once again with a clear concise vision of what the audience wants and what will engage the non-fans. (Although there is perhaps one or two mano-a-mano sequences too many).

Juggling the introduction of new characters into the MCU with ease and lack of distraction is not easy, but there won't be many who will come away feeling that the new faces are under-served (and perhaps Tom Holland as Spider-Man is the real find of the piece; a Peter Parker who is a kid from the comic-books). And don't even get me started on the energy that Paul Rudd brings to the piece with his spiky electric Ant-Man.

Daniel Bruhl also deserves commendation for his mournful role - it's a smaller, more subtle touch that he brings and his involvement in the piece provides more than can be discussed in this spoiler-free review.

That said, Captain America: Civil War is not perfect.

For a film about consequence, there are still troublingly less than realistic physical ramifications for the central gang - while there are thrills to see Cap and Iron-Man go at it, there's never really a feeling that either will fall (and perhaps nor should there be) but there is a feeling of seeding of buds of emotional unrest that will continue to ripple out.

And some characters fall by the wayside as the third act plays out, simply fading away into the peripherary as their narrative use loses traction.

Equally, at 2 hours 27 minutes, it's overlong in the final stretch but it's hard to say where the trim could have come from. This is a film that feels full, but never bloated; an important distinction as the past transgressions storylines come to a head and the Captain America trilogy wraps up.

Ultimately, while there had been signs of apathy threatening to overtake the onslaught of Marvel Cinematic Universe films (stand by for Doctor Strange, coming soon), Captain America: Civil War emerges as a contender as one of the best of the run, thanks to character moments, limited chaos and a concisely executed and fresher vision of what a genuine action blockbuster can offer.


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