NZIFF announces special programme of films to mark50th anniversary in Auckland
Twelve retrospective films have been announced to screen at the New Zealand International Film Festival (NZIFF) in 2018 to mark the 50th anniversary of the festival in Auckland.
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1982 film Liquid Sky is one of 12 restrospective films to mark NZIFF’s 50th anniversary in Auckland
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NZIFF Director Bill Gosden has curated the programme of films from half a century of NZIFF screenings including the film which opened the first-ever 1969 Auckland International Film Festival, Hunger. Other highlights of the retrospective programming include Cannes Film Festival 1976 Grand Prix award-winning film Cria Cuervos, landmark lesbian love story Desert Hearts, spectacular Swedish documentary The Atlantic, Soviet era romantic comedy Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears and a new 4K restoration of 1987 German/French film Wings of Desire.
“In looking over the films of the past five decades I wanted to bring together a selection which represented a broad spectrum and celebrated some of the many highlights we have seen over the years,” says Gosden.
As well as the retrospective film programme, festival fans can relive the history at an exhibition of past festival posters and clippings on display at ASB Waterfront Theatre during the 2018 NZIFF.
Additional films for the 50th anniversary programme will be announced. The confirmed films marking the 50th anniversary are:
Chulas Fronteras/Del mero Corazon
USA, 1976
Director/Photography/Editor: Les Blank
Screened at Auckland International Film Festival 1980
A beautiful, timely restoration of Chulas Fronteras (meaning ‘Beautiful Borders’), folklorist/cine-poet Les Blank’s classic ode to Norteña music and the migrant culture that exists along the Texas–Mexican border. Shot in the late 1970s – and restored now by his son Harrod – Chulas Fronteras and its companion piece Del mero corazón celebrate pioneering figures like Narciso Martínez and Lydia Mendoza as well as then-current performers like Flaco Jiménez and Los Pingüinos del Norte.
“It calls for dancing in the street with a bottle of Pearl Beer in one hand and a chili relleno in the other.” — Michael Goodwin, Village Voice
Cold Water
France, 1994
Screened at Auckland International Film Festival 1995
Director/Screenplay: Olivier Assayas
This early triumph from French director Olivier Assayas (Clouds of Sils Maria, Personal Shopper) centres on two doomed teenage lovers swept away by the nervous musical energy of 1970s countercultural Paris. This deeply personal tribute to rock and roll, teen love, and the impermanence of youth, and including one of the greatest party sequences ever put to film, this semi-autobiographical portrait of youth in revolt drew from Assayas’ own experiences and features an iconic soundtrack that includes Nico, Bob Dylan and Janis Joplin.
“Cold Water has the kind of emotional purity that puts it in a class by itself. Its blue fog envelops you.” — David Edelstein, Vulture
Cosy Dens
Czech Republic, 1999
Screened at Auckland International Film Festival 2000
Director: Jan Hrebejk
A vivid comic valentine to the Prague Spring, a short-lived era when mop-topped teenage boys nourished hopes of ditching their standard issue army wear and stepping out in Beatle boots. Two families co-exist in a small Prague apartment block in 1967 each with a fulminating patriarch at the head of each household; one a devoted party man, the other a former resistance hero clamouring for the end of Bolshevik idiocy. Supercool Jindřiška and hopelessly smitten Michal, the teenage children of these battling neighbours, have grown up like siblings, blithely certain that their parents are living in the past.
Cria Cuervos
Spain, 1976
Screened at Auckland International Film Festival 1978
Director/Screenplay: Carlos Saura
One of the great films of the first decade of NZIFF, winner of the Grand Prix award at Cannes Film Festival 1976, and one of the great film portraits of childhood. Ana Torrent, surely one of the screen’s most compelling child actors, and Geraldine Chaplin as her mother are unforgettable in Carlos Saura’s unique and haunting evocation of an eight-year-old girl’s fears and fantasies.
“The film is a masterpiece of form and technique, and Chaplin and Torrent are both outstanding.” — Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
Desert Hearts
USA, 1985
Screened at Auckland International Film Festival 1986
Director: Donna Dietch
The landmark lesbian love story returns to the giant screen as vibrant, beautiful and celebratory as ever. Exuberant and sexy, Desert Hearts belts along on fresh air, country music and sassy dialogue so that you can almost feel that warm wind in your hair.
“Steeped in moody, classic country and western music, it conveys romantic longing and confusion with bittersweet intensity.” — Camille Paglia, Sight & Sound
Hunger
Denmark, 1966
Screened at Adelaide/Auckland International Film Festival 1969
Director: Henning Carlsen
This exacting, bleakly funny portrait of a starving artist opened the first Auckland International Film Festival in 1969. A Scandinavian classic, this is an intense, superbly acted portrait of a self-dramatising young writer and the late 19th-Century society he rejects.
“This unforgettable film version of Knut Hamsun’s great novel won the Best Actor award at Cannes. It is one of the great film performances of all time.” — Albert Johnson, Pacific Film Archive
Liquid Sky
USA, 1982
Screened at Auckland International Film Festival 1984
Director: Slava Tsukerman
Invisible aliens descend on Manhattan’s post-punk club scene for the heroin and then stay for the sex when a lesbian fashion model discovers she can feed them by bringing her unwelcome suitors to climax. As out-there in 2018 as it was when it filled the St James for two successive Festival midnight screenings in 1984, this awesomely jaded carnival of sexuality as artform and weapon looks sharper than ever in a brand new 4K restoration.
Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears
USSR, 1980
Screened at Auckland International Film Festival 1982
Director: Vladimir Menshov
Considered charmingly old-fashioned when it arrived in the West in 1980 and won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film, this epic romantic comedy from the Soviet era stands as a classic now – a loving chronicle of the lives of three feisty provincial girls who emigrate to Moscow in 1958, tracing their romantic and professional lives through 20 years of friendship.
“Lively acting, vivacious editing and a deft ironic treatment of a classically naïve storyline make this Academy Award winner a sunburst in the rain.” — Kathleen Hulser, Film Journal
Orlando
UK/Russia/France/Italy/
Screened at Auckland International Film Festival 1993
Director: Sally Potter
Tilda Swinton strides through four centuries of history, switching genders as she goes, in Sally Potter’s gorgeous, playful subversion of British Heritage cinema. With Billy Zane, and Quentin Crisp as Elizabeth I.
“Tilda Swinton’s performance as Orlando in this adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s novel is luminous and thrilling, an omnisexual romp through 400 years of history.” — Kate Muir, The Sunday Times
The Atlantic
Atlantean, Sweden, 1994
Screened at Auckland International Film Festival 1995
Directors: Jan Röed, Kristian Petri, Magnus Enquist
All the CGI in the world pales beside the unearthly spectacle of the world itself as discovered by cinematographer Jan Röed in this magnificent, haunting film, shown at the Festival in 1995 and never seen here since. This spectacular documentary, shot on and around Atlantic Islands from Iceland to South Georgia, is reprised in a rare 35mm print.
“A must-see… One of the most hauntingly beautiful Swedish documentaries ever made.” — Gunnar Rehlin, Variety
The Swimming Pool
France/Italy, 1969
Screened at Auckland International Film Festival 1970
Director: Jacques Deray
Divine decadence in the south of France, this silkily sexy psychological thriller stars Romy Schneider, Alain Delon and Jane Birkin, France’s hottest young stars of the 1960s, and shimmers with cool jazz and mid-summer menace.
“Set in a to-die-for villa in the verdant hills overlooking Saint-Tropez, this icily elegant pas de quatre involves four of the most outrageously photogenic actors to ever appear on screen.” — David Melville, Senses of Cinema
Wings of Desire
West Germany/France, 1987
Screened at Auckland International Film Festival 1988
Director: Wim Wenders
Two angels watch over a divided Berlin in Wim Wenders’ visually astonishing city symphony from 1987 – restored 30 years later, under his direction, to look and sound better than ever in this glorious 4K presentation. The surround-soundscape is as gloriously untethered as the film’s floating camera, a symphony of voices, music and urban ambience cradling the spoken poetry of Peter Handke’s script. Lyrically articulating a profusion of existential doubts and fleeting sensory delights, it’s one of the great Rorschach test movies, many things to many people – and incidentally a must for Nick Cave completists.
“It’s full of astonishingly hypnotic images… and manages effortlessly to turn Wenders’ and Peter Handke’s poetic, literary script into pure cinematic expression.” — Geoff Andrew, Time Out
The 50th retrospective films will be scheduled throughout the Auckland NZIFF programme and will screen at various NZIFF cinemas. 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 26 June for Auckland and starts in Auckland on 19 July 2018.
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Tuesday, 5 June 2018
NZIFF announces special programme of films to mark 50th anniversary in Auckland
NZIFF announces special programme of films to mark 50th anniversary in Auckland
Detroit: Become Human: PS4 Review
Detroit: Become Human: PS4 Review
Developed by Quantic Dreams
Platform: PS4
Quantic Dream has always been heavy on the story-telling elements in their games.
Hard Rain was a detective story, Beyond Two Souls a teen-based narrative - and now Detroit: Become Human is a story that touches on the more existential elements of artificial life.
It's not unlike something Asimov would have hinted at in some ways, and there are elements of Philip K Dick's writing within as well.
Set in Detroit in 2038, you take part in three story perspectives, dipping in and out of narratives in chunks like a story's chapters, following the threads set out.
As either Connor, a police negotiator, Kara, a house android or Markus, a carer, you are essentially an android, reacting to what's going on around you and finding the boundaries of your program tested by events within.
For Connor, it's the case of a homicide that sees his belief systems challenged - the game opens with him leading a hostage negotiation as an android stands near a cliff, child hostage in his arms. For Kara, it's a case of starting again after being apparently hit by a car - thrust back into the house of an abusive drug-taking single father, her challenges lie in whether to protect Alice, the child of the house. And for Markus, it's caring for Lance Henriksen's character, a famous but seriously ill painter.
Detroit: Become Human may be a case of starting off with the mundane - certainly, Kara's you must do the housework narrative is less than thrilling - but what emerges is a real sense of choices having implications, something which this genre of games hasn't always managed successfully.
Taking in the Butterfly effect of choice from Until Dawn and building on it, Detroit: Become Human's various threads untangle with degrees of domestic cataclysmic effect. Ripples emerge from the raft of choices, and with each mini-chapter giving you a chance to see the options you had, without revealing how to unlock them, delivers a feeling the game can go more than one way - and certainly pushes for replayability.
The flowcharts make for an impressive part of the game, showing you there are real levels within levels to partake after you've finished the current story. And the darker sides of abuse are examined throughout, giving the story an adult feel and a bleakness that's occasionally hard to shake.
It looks incredibly cinematic as well - visualisations of Detroit bustle with the kind of life glimpsed in a grubbier Blade Runner, but there's a world here that merits immersion and exploration.
Which is why it's a shame to see that Detroit: Become Human only allows you to walk the path pre-laid in for you. Granted, decisions can shape the story, but going off storyboard and wandering isn't allowed - with big red barriers coming down in place to tell you you're not allowed to.
Looking at this generously, it could be seen as the android's programming conflicting, but more than likely it's a creative decision to stop people trying to go rogue and open world. It's a shame, because it does little to move Quantic Dream away from the criticisms they've garnered in the past from simply allowing people to interact in elements of their pre-programmed movies.
Frustratingly as well, some of the moving mechanics are difficult with some actions only being triggered if in the right spot - it's an annoyance which distracts from total immersion throughout, but it doesn't spoil the smaller moments of the story and the impacts of the decisions.
Ultimately, Detroit: Become Human may explore what it's like to be human, to be presented with fallacies, and situations that scream uncertainty, and in Quantic Dream's hands, it certainly is a game to experience - even if occasionally, that experience is flawed by some of the game's intentions.
Monday, 4 June 2018
Fallout 76 is here
Fallout 76 is here
See more during this year’s Bethesda E3 Showcase happening on Sunday June 10th at 6:30pm PT in Los Angeles (Monday June 11th at 11:30am AEST) or live on Twitch, YouTube, Twitter, F
Our future begins. #Fallout76 pic.twitter.com/cHe1X1tOCh— Fallout (@Fallout) June 2, 2018
Sunday, 3 June 2018
FAR CRY 3 CLASSIC EDITION EARLY ACCESS AVAILABLE NOW
FAR CRY 3 CLASSIC EDITION EARLY ACCESS AVAILABLE NOW
FAR CRY 3 CLASSIC EDITION EARLY ACCESS AVAILABLE NOW
Available for Far Cry 5 Season Pass Owners from today
Sydney, Australia — May 30, 2018 — Far Cry® 3 Classic Edition is available today in early access to all Far Cry 5 Season Pass owners playing on PlayStation®4 and Xbox One*. Far Cry 3® Classic Edition will let fans and newcomers to the series revisit Rook Island and encounter one of the franchise’s most notorious villains Vaas. As Jason Brody, players must explore the tropical island to find and save his friends, who are being held captive. From June 26, Far Cry® 3 Classic Edition will be available as a standalone purchase on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
To watch trailer click image below
MAXI, THE DANDY OF THE SEAS IS CONFIRMED FOR SOULCALIBUR VI
MAXI, THE DANDY OF THE SEAS IS CONFIRMED FOR SOULCALIBUR VI
MAXI, THE DANDY OF THE SEAS IS CONFIRMED FOR SOULCALIBUR VI
The SOULCALIBUR VI roster was missing a nunchaku wielder … BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe is pleased to announce the presence of Maxi in SOULCALIBUR VI which will be launched in 2018 for PlayStation®4, Xbox One and PC Digital.
Maxi's father had worked in the Ryukyu Kingdom as a merchant. Though fortunate enough to be able to experience different cultures on his trade route, he nevertheless felt tied down by his job. On his deathbed, he told Maxi to go out and see the world. He then decided to live by those words and keep seeking total freedom. He found it on the sea, when he became a pirate to see the world his father couldn’t.
Maxi’s weapon is a nunchaku and extremely difficult to wield. It will provoke a rain of pain to the opponent, but only if you know how to handle it!
SOULCALIBUR VI will be launched in 2018 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC Digital. For more information about the game and other products from BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe please visit:https://www.bandainamcoent.eu, follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/
San Andreas, Midnight Club: LA and Table Tennis Coming to Xbox One Backward Compatibility
San Andreas, Midnight Club: LA and Table Tennis Coming to Xbox One Backward Compatibility
San Andreas, Midnight Club: LA and Table Tennis Coming to Xbox One Backward Compatibility 3 Classic Rockstar Titles Available on June 7thGrand Theft Auto: San Andreas
After escaping the pressures of life in Los Santos, Carl Johnson returns home after his mom's murder to find his family falling apart, his childhood friends all heading towards disaster, and corrupt neighborhood cops framing him for homicide. CJ is forced on a journey that takes him across the entire state of San Andreas, to save his family and to take control of the streets.
Both the original Xbox release and the Xbox 360 version of San Andreas will be backward compatible. Save games from the original Xbox version will not transfer, however owners of that version will get the upgraded Xbox 360 version of the game, featuring higher resolution, enhanced draw distances, and Achievements.
Midnight Club: Los Angeles
Race at breakneck speeds through the streets of Los Angeles in a collection of real-world tuners, muscle cars, exotics and superbikes. Customize your vehicle with the best after-market performance parts and custom kits.
Both the original version and Midnight Club: Los Angeles Complete Edition - which adds the iconic South Central area along with new vehicles, aftermarket parts, music and races - will be compatible on Xbox One.
Rockstar Games presents: Table Tennis
Experience the unmatched intensity of real-world competitive table tennis with an authentic physics engine and intuitive gameplay that mimics the exhilarating experience found in true international competition.
Choose from 11 distinct characters, each with their own style of play, and guide them to ultimate victory by mastering all the shots and techniques, including power shots, heavy spin and precision accuracy.
On Thursday, digital game owners will have instant access to the games on Xbox One, so they can download them from the “Ready to Install” section of their Xbox One and play at will. Physical game owners can just pop the Xbox 360 game disc (or Xbox game disc as well for San Andreas) into their Xbox One and download the game.
GUNPLA WILL BE FULLY CUSTOMIZABLE IN NEW GUNDAM BREAKER ON PlayStation®4 AND STEAM® FOR PC
GUNPLA WILL BE FULLY CUSTOMIZABLE IN NEW GUNDAM BREAKER ON PlayStation®4 AND STEAM® FOR PC
GUNPLA WILL BE FULLY CUSTOMIZABLE IN
NEW GUNDAM BREAKER
NEW GUNDAM BREAKER
BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe reveals a trailer giving more insight about the amazing personalization possibilities in NEW GUNDAM BREAKER. The game will be available on June 22nd, 2018 on PlayStation®4 and STEAM® for PC and other distributors.
NEW GUNDAM BREAKER lets you design your own Mobile Suit Gunpla. You can totally customize the appearance, to create your own model based on your favorite Mechs!
Each part will have its own associated stats, competences, buff or gameplay features. For example, a Gunpla with an axe will have a different combo from one with a double saber. This will allow players to personalize even theirs Gunpla’s gameplay!
Builder parts will add even more depth to the creation process. Once the Builder part selection is done, players will be able to adjust the location, placement size and so on. Players can attach up to 8 builders parts to their mech to achieve their dream Gunpla!
Once you’re done building, and painting, the Gunpla, you can take photos in the Gallery mode. You can choose from 64 preset poses and over 20 background images to create your own ideal photoshoot and share your creation to the world.
For theirs base Gunpla, players will have to choose from 100 mobile suits from previous games and 11 exclusives new models. A lot more Mobile suits will come through regular updates, making NEW GUNDAM BREAKER the game featuring the most models until now. Furthermore, BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe announced all the future DLCs will be free, which should rejoice all the fans.
NEW GUNDAM BREAKER will be launched on June 22nd, 2018 on PlayStation 4 and STEAM for PC and other distributors. For more information about the game and other products from BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe please visit: https://www.bandainamcoent.com
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