At Darren's World of Entertainment

Saturday, 14 July 2018

NZIFF Q&A - Bludgeon - Ryan Heron and Andy Deere

NZIFF Q&A for directors: Bludgeon – Ryan Heron and Andy Deere

My film is….
One of only a handful of things that I’ve made that I want people to see. Ryan Heron
A unique little documentary that I hope people find entertaining. Andy Deere

The moment I'm most proud of is….
Starting. That first step of turning down commercial work, social commitments etc and instead driving to the Taranaki to film an old school pal swing an axe around outside an old bread factory is kind of tough one. After that we were both invested and knew we were onto something so it had momentum. (RH)
Finishing. We’ve both invested so much time and energy into making this film it’s pretty exciting to get to show it to people. (AD)

The reason I carried on with this film when it got tough is…..
Other than Andy’s erratic mood swings it was plain sailing. (RH)
I was already in too deep and I’m generally afraid of Ryan. (AD)

The one moment that will resonate with an audience is…….
For me I think the whole film is about finding your team. Whatever you’re into (no matter how bizarre that may seem to other people ) there’s bound to be others out there who are into it too. (AD)

The hardest thing I had to cut from this film is……..
Some of the Polish national team talking (in Polish) about getting aroused in armour. I had a Polish friend translate it. (RH)
Some of the other success stories from the team in Denmark but unfortunately it felt too confusing to introduce too many characters. (AD)

The thing I want people to take from this film is ……
Nothing, it’s not really an issue focused film. I’d just hope they’re entertained. (RH)
I just want people to be entertained. (AD)

The reason I love the NZIFF is…….
Well this year it’s because they’ve given us the opportunity to show our film off in the cinema. (RH)
I love being able to blindly turn up to a film I know nothing about and know i’m pretty much guaranteed to see something interesting. (AD)

What the 50th NZIFF means to me is……
They’ve been going as long as my parents have been married then. I can’t imagine it’s been easy. (RH)

NZIFF Q&A - Malcolm Turner, Animation Now

Welcome back to the NZIFF - and part of the festival run's Akl aftermath - how did that come about?
There have been a couple of animation programs in the general body of the NZIFF for a long time. When I first started programming those in the mid 1990s we were getting 400-500 submissions and everything was shown from 35mm film prints or betacam tapes. Nowadays we get in excess of 4,000 submissions and the entire line-up can be moved around on a pendrive. So, basically, expanding those couple of programs into a stand-alone festival is a response to trying to ensuring our animation programming continues to be representative of what’s happening out there in the big wide world of independent animation while at the same time acknowledging that New Zealand was one of the last countries to not have a specialist animation festival.

What are the trends this year for animation?
Every year there are random thematic ‘trends’ that pop up for no discernible reason – this year, for some reason, there were a number of films depicting Rubic cubes – who knows why. In terms of technique and technology there aren’t really any emerging trends above and beyond recent times but I get a sense that there is a growing divide between the countries who are funding and those who are not funding animation as an artform.

4000 films vied for a place in the festival - this seems up on in the past - where was the most prolific in terms of animation and why do you think this is?
Europe and funding are the two short answers to those questions. Beneath that though it is a big more complex. Some countries – the USA for example – have never really funded auteur/independent animation which is why they produce so little. Funding in China hasn’t appreciably increased but animation is being taken a lot more seriously there and a really interesting community of true auteur animators are emerging. In other places (particularly New Zealand, Australia to some extent the UK) the concept that animation can be made and appreciated as an artform is giving way to a more purely utilitarian understanding of what animation is. Another angle is that prolific doesn’t automatically equal quality. Some countries produce and distribute vast numbers of often pretty ordinary work whereas Estonia produces 15-20 professional films a year, virtually all of them ranging from very good to outstanding.

I'm really pleased to see a handmade section in there as well - what's your favourite from this one and why?
Oh-hoh, I learned a long time to be – ahem – judicious about picking individual favourites. That said, “Negative Space” seems to be a firm favourite pretty much everywhere it screens (and appears to have stolen the hearts of some of the people at NZIFF HQ) plus it was nominated for an Oscar. And “After All” is one of the most genuinely affecting films I think I’ve ever seen and it took out both Best Of The Fest and Best Australian at MIAF in Melbourne a couple of weeks ago, the first time any film has taken that double prize there.

What's the state of NZ animation? Are we doing enough, could we do more?
I think it’s fair to say it’s patchy. The best of it (such as the films “Tom” and “Trap” screening in the festival this year) are world class though. And it seems to alternate between high tech CG and authentically kiwi DIY in terms of technique. Are we doing enough? Hard to know if you are asking the right guy or not. Of course not is my reflexive answer. I don’t buy for a moment that the level of support for animation in New Zealand is because of its size; one only has to look at Estonia (a country with half the population of New Zealand and nothing like the per capita GDP) to see what a committed society can do when it wants to. But I would say that and there’s more to it. Just lifting the lid and pouring in tsunami of cash probably wouldn’t change a hell of a lot and every country has differing priorities in what it supports. Sometimes those priorities shape social/cultural debate, sometimes they respond to it. My hope is that the rising priority we are giving to animation by establishing a stand-alone animation festival will help raise the profile of animation as an artform in this country and ultimately that is the kind of thing that is going to encourage wider respect for the artform, inspiration for coming generations of animators and perhaps a reappraisal of whether certain animated projects are worth supporting financially. Somebody also needs to sit down and make sure that what good animation that is produced here is properly distributed through the international animation festival network – that would be one significant kick-start that would probably bear early fruit.

Fresh Eyes on Estonia seems to be a recognition of a country that regularly produces material - what do you think motivates their content?
Estonia is probably the most culturally rich society I know. I’m not necessarily talking about huge museums, giant opera halls and lavish events; I’m talking about a society-wide understanding that everything gets filtered through a cultural prism simply as a way of life. And this happens at pretty much every strata. It produces a kind of social honesty that you don’t really encounter much and it’s an all-permeating part of the air they breathe. It’s a kind of ‘smart’ that has to be inhaled. They have become acculturated to incorporating a level of cultural expression into pretty much everything they do and this shows in their animation particularly because animation is such an expressive artform. When you blend in the geo-political history of Estonia you find older animated films with an astonishing texture and nowadays with that awful history behind them you see an emerging generation that are taking the artform in new directions.

Are there any films you couldn't get and what were they?
Not really. There was a great film called “Happiness” that I had originally included in the line-up but some issues with the music rights emerged and I elected to replace it. The task is more about which films to leave out – it’s great having the expanded Animation NOW! structure, it gives me lots more real estate to programme work into but even so, there are some really great films that there just weren’t room for.

I'm guessing you want the animation section to inspire new fans and also budding animators ?
Absolutely. And I also want people to understand that animation – along with all its other uses and permutations – is also a credible artform in its own right AND one that certainly has not been overrun with computers in the way that most people think it has.

What's the best Animated film in your programme and why?
I think I’ll take the 5th on that one

And finally, what's the one film from the rest of the programme you're excited for and why?
If I had to just pick out one I think it would probably be “Manivald” by Chintis Lundgren. It was co-produced with the National Film Board of Canada which always helps but in Lundgren we are witnessing the emergence and rapidly maturing mastery of a really unique filmmaker and one who is confidently leading the way not just for female animators but for those who create and develop interesting and complex female characters within the narrative structure of their work. Luckily I secured “Manivald” last year the minute I saw it at the NFB in Montreal before it was released so that made it easy but it is a film I would have fought to the wire to secure for Animation NOW!

Top Of The Lake: China Girl DVD Review

New Zealand director Jane Campion's sequel to the first series of Top Of The Lake relocates the action from New Zealand to Aussie shores.

Once again, The Handmaid's Tale Elisabeth Moss returns as Detective Robin Griffin to investigate a case of a body washing up in Sydney's Bondi Beach.

But as ever, the crime masks so much more of what actually happened - and as Griffin begins to dig in to the story, a deeper and more disturbing story awaits.

Top Of The Lake: China Girl is a studious 7 part series that revels a lot in its mood and atmospherics than the fluidity of its story.

That's not to say that with a cast that includes the likes of Gwendoline Christie and Nicole Kidman, it doesn't sparkle in places - and certainly, Moss delivers a performance that's powerful. But it's the story itself which becomes more problematic the more it goes on.

Top Of The Lake: China Girl may lack the power that came with the first series and its complete narrative, but as a drama, it's almost up there with some of the best.

NZIFF Q&A - Shirley Horrocks

My film is Paul Callaghan: Dancing With Atoms.

The moment I'm most proud of is Making Paul’s boyhood come alive to explain how a boy became a scientist. I had great stories from his brother Jim, from a boyhood friend, and from Paul’s own writing, and I used dramatization including cartoons and old photos to tell the story of a curious boy who revelled in freedom and experiment. At a large preview screening it was great to hear the audience laugh at Paul’s escapades.

The reason I carried on with this film when it got tough is
That I thought Paul was an extraordinary guy and I wanted people to know the range of his achievements. In another country he’d be on our stamps and banknotes, he’d be a household name like Sir Ed Hillary.

One moment that will resonate with an audience is
The way Paul faced his diagnosis of terminal cancer. He talked about it with Kim Hill on her popular Saturday morning broadcasts and kept a running blog of his results. Above all he remained busy with all his important projects up to the very end. I wanted to show how much Paul enjoyed life and what a fun person he was. There’s a little surprise at the end of the film which I love.

The hardest thing I had to cut from this film was
His work with young people in projects like the Eureka Awards and the Eureka Trust. He had such an energetic life with so many diverse interests – science, environmentalism, the arts, and developing the NZ economy - that even in a feature film I could not include everything.

The thing I want people to take from this film is Paul Callaghan’s love of science, of life, and of people, and his desire to “make NZ a place where talent wants to live.”

The reason I love the NZIFF is Its dogged determination (particularly in the person of director Bill Gosden) to bring world-class films, both fiction and documentary, to New Zealand. I love the buzz and excitement of it. I love seeing full-houses because the festival depends for its survival on ticket sales, to a greater extent than most overseas festivals which receive more city or government support.

What the 50th NZIFF means to me is
That it’s a proud moment in the festival’s history. It’s also a proud moment for me as this film is my 11th film in the festival. Bill Gosden has generously said that I’m the NZ film-maker who has been most often represented.

NZIFF Q&A - Stray director Dustin Feneley

My film is....

An arthouse drama about two damaged strangers who give each other strength to move on with their lives.

The moment I'm most proud of is....
Getting the film made, against a lot of odds and many obstacles. And the incredibly positive responses from people who have seen the film and see the unique value in what we as a team and crew accomplished on screen.

The reason I carried on with this film when it got tough is.....
I believed in it with every fibre of my being. No one could dissuade me, although some tried. But more people believed in the film than didn’t, and that’s ultimately what allowed it to be made. The people.

The one moment that will resonate with an audience is.......
Seeing two damaged strangers connect and give each other some tenderness and humanity.

The hardest thing I had to cut from this film is........
A scene of the two main characters, Jack and Grace, naked in a bath together making jokes. We didn’t cut it for any censorship or modesty reasons. It was a funny scene in isolation, but it just didn’t fit the overall tone of the film.

The thing I want people to take from this film is ......
The importance of human connection and resilience. And the importance of form and craft in cinematic storytelling.

The reason I love the NZIFF is.......
It’s the only opportunity in New Zealand to see such a diversity and breadth of cinema on the big screen - the way the filmmaker intended and designed their film to be experienced.

What the 50th NZIFF means to me is......
New Zealand has enjoyed a relatively long history of celebrating world cinema on our shores. It’s a beautiful thing to be able to screen my debut feature at NZIFF in this special anniversary year.

Friday, 13 July 2018

Win a double pass to see The Equalizer 2

To celebrate the release of The Equalizer 2 in cinemas July 20th, we've got passes to giveaway to see the film thanks to Sony Pictures NZ!

About The Equalizer 2

Denzel Washington returns to one of his signature roles in the first sequel of his career.

Robert McCall serves an unflinching justice for the exploited and oppressed – but how far will he go when that is someone he loves?

The Equalizer 2 is in cinemas July 20th.

To win a double pass, all you have to do is email your details to this address: darrensworldofentertainment@gmail.com or CLICK HERE NOW!

Please label your entry DENZEL

Competition closes July 25th

NZIFF Q&A - Tim Van Dammen

My film is....
A time-travel crime-comedy set in Thames called Mega Time Squad.

The moment I'm most proud of is....
When people are genuinely moved by the love story. It’s my long term ambition to make a really powerful love story so in preparation I slipped a romance subplot into Mega Time Squad but it almost steals the show. Seeing grown men smiling and pretending that their dewy eyes are from laughter as the credits roll is truly satisfying.

The reason I carried on with this film when it got tough is.....
No budget. First produced script. A cast of fifty. Two-dozen locations. Every second shot a VFX shot. Comedy. Right from the start it’s tough. Its either that or I didn’t get to make the film. I would do it again tomorrow – and hopefully I will.

The one moment that will resonate with an audience is.......
In a moment of triumph John says “Hey Shelton, I’m going to get up now, and I’m going to take that money, and my girlfriend, and my big-as nuts – and we’re going to go to Paeroa, and there’s nothing you can do about it.” When developing the film I wrote this line before I wrote almost anything else because I knew that this was the line that the film needed to hinge on. It says everything about our main character, his modest goals, his insecurity about standing up for himself, his insecurity about publicly declaring his feelings for his girlfriend, his naivete, and his greed… everything. And it’s a silly line.

The hardest thing I had to cut from this film is........
With 30mins of the film on the hard drive labelled ‘cutting room floor’ the part I miss most is Mick Innes and Jonny Brugh arguing about which channels of their Sky subscription to combine to form the optimal mix.

The thing I want people to take from this film is …..
A sore diaphragm and a tear in the eye.

The reason I love the NZIFF is.......
In an age of streaming platforms it’s important to remind people why going out to the cinema is such a unique and powerful experience. The NZIFF gives us this experience and focuses us back on the power of communal viewing.

What the 50th NZIFF means to me is......
The NZIFF nurtured my interest in movies as a teenager and I still find it exciting today, when my own films have become part of the programme. We’re very lucky to have such a well-run and impeccably programmed film festival in New Zealand. From quiet art-house experiences to the crash and bang of the Incredibly Strange programme, the NZIFF is a cornerstone of the film experience in New Zealand not only for audiences but for aspiring and established filmmakers too. Here’s to another 50 years – at least!

Love Simon: DVD Review

The pantheon of rom-coms and coming-of-age films is fairly full.

But it's fair to say that the adaptation of Becky Albertalli's acclaimed book, packs the sort of punch and zing that John Hughes would have been proud of.

Even if it does inhabit a world where consequences are rarely explored, and everyone behaves in a slightly sanitised way.

Robinson is American teenager Simon Spier, who, by his own confession is "just like you."

He has a pretty normal life, with liberal parents and a solid bunch of friends as he negotiates his way through high school.

However, as he admits early on, he has a huge ass confession - he's gay and in the closet.

One day, through his school's shared internet, he spies a note from Blue, someone in the school who is also dealing with their sexuality. Simon decides to drop Blue a line and a friendship and connection begins to form - and Simon tries to find out who of his peers this potential love interest could be.

Genial and harmless, this teen film is perhaps as heartfelt as you'd expect, without delving too deeply into preaching.

In many ways, it normalises its central message, a touch which makes it worthwhile as Simon negotiates his way through a life that seems relatively perky, happy and overly caffeinated - it's a fantasy take on high school life and the lack of reality over the pains faced by many.

But that's no bad thing here, as the energy of the piece, coupled with the relative charisma of the lead, and the charm of the relationships manages to carry it all along.

Sure, there are some grounds for the whimsical dismissal of the whole blackmailing angle which plays out as Simon's forced to try and make one of his female friends like the nerd; and there are certainly issues when conflict arises and is treated in a very piecemeal, narratively necessary way later on.

Regardless of these minor speed bumps, Berlanti imbues a good 80 percent of this film with a winning formula that's likely to see it as successful in the mainstream as it wants to be.

It's still galling that a film like this has to be labelled as the "gay teen rom com a generation's been waiting for", but Love, Simon makes a genial case for a degree of timelessness, living in such a world of carefree verve that it's annoyingly compelling.

In the back third of the film, despite the real representation of Simon's parents when faced with the truth about their son, the film falters and stumbles, fumbling the pass it's been expecting the whole way through.

But ultimately, what emerges with Love, Simon is the kind of high school film and timeless romcom that's winning for the Insta-generation.

Friendships feel genuine, interactions (for the most part) feel truthful in a fantasy construct and Simon's arc proves to be rewarding enough.

Meshing 10 Things I Hate About You moments with solid dependable performances all round (even Veep star Hale's over-the-top principal can't bring it down), it provides the sort of endearing care-free blandness that's rewarding and enjoyable enough to warrant the cost of a ticket.

NZIFF Q&A - Ant Timpson

My film is....
THE FIELD GUIDE TO EVIL

The moment I'm most proud of is....
ALL THE FILMMAKERS INVOLVED LIKING THE FINISHED FILM.

The reason I carried on with this film when it got tough is.....
YOU SHOULD ALWAYS FINISH WHAT YOU START PLUS WE PROMISED PEOPLE A RETURN ON THEIR INVESTMENT

The one moment that will resonate with an audience is.......
DRINKING WINE FROM A GOBLIN’S SLASHED VEINS – WE’VE ALL BEEN THERE.

The hardest thing I had to cut from this film is........
NOT ONE FRAME

The thing I want people to take from this film is ......
MOST FOLKLORE IS ROYALLY FUCKED UP.

The reason I love the NZIFF is.......
THEY PAY TO SHOW FILMS

What the 50th NZIFF means to me is......
TIME IS RUNNING OUT

Thursday, 12 July 2018

Skyscraper: Film Review

Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Neve Campbell, a burning building, Roland Moller
Director: Rawson Marshall Thurber

Skewing towards memories of The Towering Inferno and Die Hard, but with an eye very much on the cheesy and disastrous, Skyscraper sees the Rock toning down some of his more natural elements for a PG13 audience.

Johnson is Will Sawyer, a former FBI Team Leader who lost the lower half of his leg when a hostage negotiation went wrong. Now assessing skyscrapers for security, Sawyer and his family are taken to Hong Kong to look at a new building, The Pearl.

However, when terrorists (led by Moller's timidly snarling Kores Botha) strike, Sawyer has to find his inner strength to save the day.

It's fair to say Skyscraper is a solid piece of entertainment, aimed squarely at the blockbuster crowd, but yet somehow doesn't quite manage to leap its problems as high as it should.

Johnson dials down his usual charisma, trying to aim more for an average Joe who's had obstacles to overcome and who's now trying to save his family. However, he carries out such super-human feats of strength (climbing a massive crane, running off the edge of said crane and powering into a building, holding a bridge together) that the everyman appeal is lost very early on.

Equally, the potential over the leg loss for empowerment which was promised in the initial trailers seems to have been sidelined for some kind of hanging-by-a-leg moment that seems more than a tad misjudged.

Whereas films like the aforementioned Tower and Die Hard saw ordinary people having to do extraordinary things, there's never really any question of The Rock caving, even though he takes a beating a few times during it. His earnestness only gets him so far, as the bloodless violence and gunplay escalates.

Campbell's solid, very much his equal (something Hollywood's suddenly more keen to show), giving her former army surgeon the pluck needed to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with him when necessary, even if the inability to use an iPhone seems to be more a narrative necessity than character trait.

In among the incessant dark swirling shots circling the tower on fire with CGI flames, Thurber muddies a lot of the sequences with the dark, meaning the vertiginous shots lose their head-dizzying ability early on.

It's not that Skyscraper is a roaring success, but its deep-dive more into bland rote schlockbuster territory than enticing, enthralling suspense squanders its promise and potential. It may aim for the sky, but it scrapes the bottom a little too often than is liked, with dialogue that borders on cult material, but holds back.

Ultimately, that's the biggest problem with Skyscraper - in its quest to satiate a PG13 audience and censor, it's neither one thing nor the other. It's certainly not a Towering inferno by any stretch, but its desire to not embrace what it could be, and its commitment to bland action fare means it's more a flicker than a flaming roar.

NZIFF Q&A - Pietra Brettkelly

My film is....
YELLOW IS FORBIDDEN

The moment I'm most proud of is....
…it's that I completed this film, against the odds. But highlighting a specific moment it would be backstage with Guo Pei, the designer and subject of my film, in the final scene of my film, as she’s watching her collection in Paris walk the runway. It's the moment she creatively challenges the status quo, the inherent arrogance, the largely European males club of the Haute Couture Commission. And says take a look at what I can do, this diminutive Chinese woman. And the emotion on her face as we hold the extreme close up shot, gets me every time. She’s in tears and I’m in tears. Her face is one of anguish, tension, pride

The reason I carried on with this film when it got tough is.....
I’m incredibly curious, and driven and believe completely in the importance of story-telling – to capture our time now, to open a window into another world, another culture and to break down barriers through understanding each other more, through the power of storytelling, and the ability for my films to travel internationally which they do.
But it is also that moment that I’ve described above - it's a truly beautiful moment that keeps me passionate about documentary filmmaking and passionate about this film, that moment you can’t predict but hope through my skills as a director I might get to when I launched into this film two years previously – a moment of intense emotion, intimacy and trust between myself and my subject.

The one moment that will resonate with an audience is.......
This film is so complex and will truly appeal to many different people.

The hardest thing I had to cut from this film is........
Filmed over two years, I amassed something like 200 hours of footage. The edit process that took one year, was so painful I try not to think back on what I had to cut. But the access I got to Guo Pei’s life was so extraordinary – she had signs up throughout her salon of NO FILMING and yet we were allowed to film, the intricacies of her designing, the craftswork of her 500 staff, the phenomenal skills that go into these artworks she creates.
There was a scene when we were filming with the famous Rihanna cape, the 27kg yellow cape Rihanna wore on the Met Gala red carpet in 2015 that luanched Guo Pei internatinally, and began my film. We were in Paris and filmed scenes with the cape and the delicate and treasured way the cape was handled and looked at by the models, by the photography team, by passers by was extraordinary. It was like a superstar in its own right. And then one of the team stripped down and put it on and got the photographer to take photos of him. There was a tension in the air. I would have liked this scene to be somewhere in the film but I feel the aspect of how the cape is reverred is covered in another scene of a Guo Pei exhibition at the Louvre.
And there was another scene with the cape, the Queen of Malaysia and Michael Jackson’s brother….

The reason I love the NZIFF is.......
I travel often to festivals and markets and watch a lot of films.
My film YELLOW IS FORBIDDEN just premiered at Tribeca Film Festival, New York and then went on to market screenings at Cannes Film Festival. Bill Gosden and his team at NZIFF have curated some of the best films I was lucky to see at those festivals – and some I didn’t manage to get to so am relieved they’re going to be in NZIFF. Bill brings to us here in New Zealand an eclectic, thought-provoking, entertaining and intelligent range of the best films.

What the 50th NZIFF means to me is......
NZIFF has fed me over the years.

We are so lucky to have had access to the world’s best films in the last 50 years – and it has certainly encouraged my learning, love and appreciation of film. I’m often walking away from a film at the Civic, wrapping myself up in a scarf, just thinking over all that I’ve just experienced in the last 90 minutes – another storyteller’s visual perspective on another place, another land, another people. It's the richness of inspiration itself.

Super Bomberman R: PS4 Review

Released by
Platform: PS4

It's a simple concept - place bombs around a maze, and take out your enemies, giving you the chance to progress to the next phase of your campaign.

But Super Bomberman R's simplicity is also what ensures its playability.

It's not a difficult concept to grasp, it's an easy one to execute, but it's also an easy one to mess up. However, the 3D edges, combined with the chunky graphics give Super Bomberman R the universality the series has always embraced.

While the campaign level is easy enough to play through, some of the maze's 3D edges take a bit of time to get used to as you try and work out where you can and cannot go.

With Battle modes allowing for 8 players to take part, and single player Story mode, the game has enough to keep people engaged, even if after a while, it starts to feel a tad repetitive.

It may be fun for all ages, and nicely executed, but Super Bomberman R's repeat playability is occasionally in question - from time to time, it does feel like the game's disposability is also its downfall.

NZIFF 2018 Preview

Cheers to 50 years.

That's easily the cry to festival director Bill Gosden and the rest of his team at the New Zealand International Film Festival gears up for its fifth decade of bringing the world of film to our screens.

The event kicks off again this next Thursday in Auckland's mighty Civic Theatre before heading around the country, and yes, the veritable cinematic smorgasbord is ready to be troughed upon, with local delights mingling among viewers' tastebuds along with tasty international morsels to sink your teeth into.

As well as the Cannes' big hitters, and the local premieres, and the films we've been waiting for but no local distributors will take a chance on, there's much to indulge on, but equally much to choose over, and to schedule.

Pick Of the Litter

This year's Kedi, though perhaps a little less effective but none the less fluffy, is the puppy overload that is Pick Of The Litter. This sweet-natured doco goes skin-deep on the world of the training of five potential pooches to take on the mantle of would-be guide dogs. Five are plucked from the kennels, and your time is invested in the group - will they make the cut? It's amiable fare, that shies away from some of the details (costs etc) but shows the ruthlessness in which they thrive. It's certainly also one to give animal lovers the fluffy vicarious fuzzies they may seek.

Dog's Best Friend

At the other end of the spectrum, Dog's Best Friend follows Aussie hardknock dogs rehab centre and its tattooed boss, Jacob Leezak, as he tries to rehabilitate some of the pooches who've been labelled menaces. With a no-nonsense approach to what the dogs need and the mantra it's the owners who make them what they are, director Eryn Wilson's determination to turn these perceptions around is laudable. Never confronting but always insightful, Dog's Best Friend makes a valid case for all animals, even if the fuller details of the humans involved isn't quite as fulsome as it could be.

I Used to be normal - A Boyband Fangirl Story

Equally confusing to outsiders, I Used to be normal - A Boyband Fangirl Story's affectionate look at what fuels fandom sees director director Jessica Leski's affectionate douse its subjects in such a universal appeal that it makes their obsessions seem normal - and whisper it, almost relatable.

Centring on four different fans - 16 year-old Elif, who's a One Directioner, Dara, 33, who's a proclaimed Take That fan, 25 year old Sadia, a US Backstreet Boys fan and 64-year-old Susan who was there at the start of the trend with her Beatles love - Leski's piece becomes more of a rounded piece as it goes on, and makes the case that it's as much a coming-of-age ritual as it is a shared obsession. Packed with energy and soundtracks, as well as some social commentary, the boyband obsession has never been so openly approachable and watchable.

Aga

Opening with potentially one of the most visually arresting images of the festival, genial and benign in its intentions, Aga is an intriguing, minimalist slice of slow cinema the festival specializes in.

Set in a location unknown, it's the story of an old couple, Nanook and Sedna. This duo, old and wizened, but clearly blessed with a love for each other that's endured more than just the harsh winters on show, spend their time in their yurt, living the traditions of their ancestors.

From ice-fishing to lying back in a snow angel on the frozen wastes as a plane and its chem-trails head over, life is simple. But it's becoming more of a struggle - and with life encroaching on them, things are about to cataclysmically change.

If the scope of Aga's white snowy vistas and visuals is vast, the intent of the drama is intimate. Patience is rewarded with a window into a world seldom glimpsed on our screens - and showing the NZIFF is still intent on opening minds.

More loopy, than Looper, Thames-shot crime caper Mega Time Squad is a blast.

Mega Time Squad

A ludicrously-fuelled tale of crime and lack of ambition in middle New Zealand, director Tim Van Dammen's follow up to NZIFF hit Romeo and Juliet: A Love Story is nonetheless stylish.
Centring on Anton Tennet's John, a low-level hoodlum who's in the thrall of Johnny Brugh's crime boss, Mega Time Squad follows the story as John gets ambitions for more - a move to Paeroa for love.

Aided by a mysterious Chinese trinket, the film's heart is in its love story - but not at the expense of anything else that matters as it brilliantly unspools.

Fresh, enticing and flipping funny, Mega Time Squad is easily the 2018 New Zealand International Film Festival's best time at the movies.

With over 150 choices to be made at the festival, Q&As to be attended and premieres to be seen, this year's NZIFF feels wider in scope, more enticing in its offerings and proffers more guarantees of good times in the cinema. There's no sign of it going away, and although they say life begins at 40, it's clear hitting 50 for this festival is showing no signs of slowing down.

Stay tuned for more previews, director Q&As and reviews as the Auckland leg of the festival gears up for kick off!

Wednesday, 11 July 2018

Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection: XBox One Review

Platform: XBox One

Released by Capcom

It's back.

The smackdown to end all smackdowns is back, and with a package that comprises 12 Street Fighter arcade ports, it's a trip down memory lane which will KO you with its nostalgia.

From the likes of Street Fighter, via Street Fighter II: Champion Edition to Street Fighter III: 2nd Impact, there are more than enough games to keep you and your mates amused in front of the console.

The games are fairly simple ports, which don't mess with the formula, but Capcom's thrown in a few new features and options.

From a stronger Training Mode to the chance to explore early game design documents, the Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection aims to be completist, and while the play is as frustrating as button mashers ever were, there's also the feeling that this is a great fun experience that proved to be so popular in the arcades for obvious reasons.

Sure, there's a few of them which are missing, but the preservation work and the 2D fighting game nature means that the chance to sit down and wallow in the past is high and welcome.

It's also interesting to see how the games evolved in their playability as developers explored the full potential of what the machines could do - and there's certainly a feeling of leaps and bounds from Street Fighter I to Street Fighter III.

All in all, Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection is worth owning; its lower cost and the fact that it's 12 games deep, mean value for money - sure, there's some repetition in the beat them up formula, but as a gaming document to preserve the past, it's sort of second to none.

Tuesday, 10 July 2018

Win A Quiet Place on Blu-Ray

To celebrate the release of A Quiet Place on July 11th, I've got copies to give away thanks to Universal!

About A QUIET PLACE

In the modern horror thriller A Quiet Place, a family of four must navigate their lives in silence after mysterious creatures that hunt by sound threaten their survival. If they hear you, they hunt you.

DVD Special Features
• Creating the Quiet – Director John Krasinski gives you a behind the scenes look at A Quiet Place

Blu-rayTM Special Features
• Creating the Quiet – Director John Krasinski gives you a behind the scenes look at A Quiet
Place
• The Sound of Darkness – Creating the sound of a silent world
• A Reason for Silence – The art of unforgettable visual effects

To win a copy, all you have to do is email your details to this address: darrensworldofentertainment@gmail.com or CLICK HERE NOW!

Please label your entry QUIET

Competition closes August 1st

A Quiet Place: Blu Ray Review

Channeling elements of It Comes At Night, Signs, 10 Cloverfield Lane, The Last Of Us and elements of Invaders From Mars to name but a few others, A Quiet Place's sensibilities lie within their intimacies.

Real life husband and wife Krasinski and Blunt play a married couple, living in a world blighted by an invasion, the details of which are scattered briefly like narrative breadcrumbs here and there.

Joining the film at Day 89 of this invasion, we're thrust into their world - a father and mother trying to protect their children from creatures which pick off their victims when they make sound.

Starting off in a deserted supermarket, with visual elements of The Last Of Us on display, this is a deserted world, one where insularity helps ensure safety.

However, after a shocking incident, the family finds it has to pull together in the wake of devastation and a seeming never end to what has been unleashed.

It's unfair to review A Quiet Place by spoiling it for others, depriving of the shocks and spills so rarely experienced at the movies these days.

Loosely speaking, the film works best in its own bubble of innocence; it's a story about family, about the sacrifices and lengths family have to go to protect each other. In a wider, broader sense, some could see it as an allegory into the world today, and politics in general.

But what's orchestrated by Krasinski throughout is, largely, terrifically taut, true to the genre and yet willing to shape it as its own.

A few quibbles of logic hit parts of the set pieces, yet above all, A Quiet Place manages to grip and terrify in the right measure.

It helps that a good starting portion of the film is silent, leading to sign language and subtitles becoming common place - something which Edgar Wright's Baby Driver managed to mainstream to great narrative effect.

However, what the subtitles do here convey an atmosphere of rebellion, of frustration and of familial love - in among the terror that any second something could strike.

Wisely, Krasinski and his writers decide early on to reveal the creatures terrorising the world, rather than play coy, abuse lighting and employ cheap cutaways to lessen the peril.

The result is that it's actually engaging and in parts unsettling.
More compellingly, it feels fresh throughout - even though some of the logical leaps and lapses stand out a little more because of this.

Certainly, a sequence involving a bathtub, Blunt, a creature and an impending baby leads to some real edge of the seat stuff that is amongst some of the best orchestrated of the year so far.

Long sweeping shots within frames, an at-times heart-thumping soundtrack and a desire to keep things on a smaller more personal scale make A Quiet Place such a rollercoaster ride of thrills.

Terrifically entertaining, suspenseful, and above all fresh, A Quiet Place rallies a cry for intimate originality in film which has long been muted by bloated blockbusters and tiresome, unfulfilling sequels.

Monday, 9 July 2018

Wellington Paranormal: TV Review

It's the show that's been a fair few years in the making from Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement, and their New Zealand Documentary Board.

Spun off from What We Do in The Shadows, Wellington Paranormal's mix of mockumentary stylings of Cops and also NZ homebred hit Police Ten 7 gets off to a promising start, with the return of two police officers briefly glimpsed in the orignal film.

Mark Minogue and Karen O'Leary play hapless officers Minogue and O'Leary, who find the start of their shift is impacted by the discovery of a girl projectile vomiting in one of Wellington's most infamous streets.

This is less Hill Street Blues though, more a Hell Street Blues if you will, as they dig deeper in after being co-opted by Sergeant Maaka, played by the Modern Māori Quartet's Maaka Pohatu.

He's the boss of the top-secret Wellington Police Paranormal Unit and who's been looking at the odd for years - though has been dismissed. (To be fair, one of O'Leary's early musings is that Maaka's so-called UFO photo is actually a hubcap).

But things take a turn as the case develops.

Wellington Paranormal's first episode riffs on The Exorcist in terms of story, and also with a famous line coming from the most unexpected of sources (one of the episode's delights).

It's also got that mix of The X-Files creature of the week feel too - and the title sequence feels like a more upbeat rendition of Mark Snow's infamous theme.

And while deadpan and ad-libbing appear to be the show's MO, it's wisely not abandoned its horror elements as well, with some impressive jump scares and a commitment to the mythical elements nicely sown liberally in.

Its lead pair is laconic and laid back and director Jemaine Clement encouraged them to adlib during filming, and it shows - in a good way.

It's tricky to mix genuine scares and humour, but Wellington Paranormal's first ep does it well and there's a lot of buzz abroad about the show, so it does have potential. Clement's clearly got an eye for the humorous behind the camera, as well as the flow for the show, ensuring the drama is never second place to the obvious humour.

A minor nitpick for me is the two leads referencing Mulder and Scully, which is why it's sometimes hard not to believe they know what was going on, but it'll be interesting to see how this develops as the six episodes play out. And it'll be intriguing to see if the gag runs out - it works well for 30 minute slices, but extended exposure to this could count against it.

Nicely paced, with sight gags never being put aside for the supernatural, and with some riffs on Buffy's Hellmouth, Wellington Paranormal offers up a lot in terms of proffering some universal humour, as well as the ability to satiate the local audiences.

Smartly delivered, and kookily clever, Wellington Paranormal could soon be the cult comedy TV hit that New Zealand's been dying to deliver for years.

Edie: Film Review

Cast: Sheila Hancock, Kevin Guthrie
Director: Simon Hunter

Less Reese Witherspoon's Wild, more a tame film that pulls no surprises, Sheila Hancock's Edie is a woman with a mission late in life.

Freed from the shackles of an abusive marriage that imploded into a stroke for her husband that imprisoned them both for 30 years and with a care home beckoning for her future, Edie decides on a whim to tackle a Scottish mountain climb.

With the cry of "Never too late for you, Edie" ringing in her ears, and with memories of a mountain promise made to her by her late father, Edie goes AWOL (with scant follow through from her daughter) to the Highlands.

After bumping into Guthrie's Johnny, Edie's conned into getting training from his so-called camping ways to tackle the journey...

Edie is predictable fare, that treads a familiar path to redemption without any flashiness or surprises.
It's in its subtlety that it works best, and with a twinkling performance from Hancock, and a genuinely empathetic grounded turn from Guthrie, the film's Odd Couple vibe of lost souls tends to work best early on.

Edie's determined to cast the shackles of the shadow of her past life off and climb both the literal and metaphorical mountain dragging her down. Equally, Johnny's uncertainty over being stuck in a small town, shackled to a partner's business plan, threatens to overwhelm his future and hold him back in much the same way as Edie's abusive husband did.

It's here that Edie stumbles really - its desire to repeatedly and unsubtly beat home parts of its message mean that - coupled with endless use of slow mo towards the end - the film becomes mired in sentiment and treats its audience with less respect. Along with the fact that logic and some key plot threads are just left dangling, this is never anything but Edie and Johnny's friendship, set to the backdrop of what appears to be shameless tourism video promotion for the rolling vistas of bonnie Scotland.

But in among the battle of unnecessary wills and heads being butted testing boundaries, Hancock and Guthrie quietly impress, imbuing the film with a resonance of a less-is-more execution.

It's unlikely that Edie will trouble either box offices or end of year lists, but it does offer an older audience a viewpoint seldom seen - of life after marriage, and in the twilight years. It's here that Hunter's film packs a quiet power - but had those in charge pulled back and removed some of the padding, the inter-generational friendship story could have flourished more than it comes close to hinting at.

Ideal Home: Film Review

Cast: Steve Coogan, Paul Rudd, Jack Gore, Kate Walsh
Director: Andrew Fleming

An intriguing look at what family means in the 21st Century, Andrew Fleming's Ideal Home can be summed up by its last line.

Exhausted and perhaps a touch exasperated after all that comes to pass, Paul Rudd's character Paul can be heard flippantly shouting - "Oh great,a f***ing rainbow", before the credits roll, bringing up shots of same sex couples and their offspring.

It's a meshing of tones that never quite fully gels for Ideal Home, with the story of how bickering gay couple Erasmus (Coogan, in a flamboyant and camp mode) and Paul (Rudd, the relative centre and expert of the withering put down) end up with 10 year old Bill.

Jack Gore's Bill's told to go live with his grandfather Erasmus when the police bust his father in a motel - with tragedy in Bill's past, and with Erasmus not talking to his son, things are off to a tough start when he shows up unexpectedly.

Initially pushing back on the lack of boundaries set by Erasmus who caves to Bill's demands, Paul's more resistant, after initially not wanting a child in their relationship.

But as these films are wont to do, a bond between the three grows, and Erasmus and Paul learn from Bill being part of their life.

That's the thing with Ideal Home, it's not a new concept and it wears some of that influence without shame on its occasionally laugh-out-loud funny journey.

As mentioned previously, Rudd is the stand out here - as opposed to Coogan's somewhat flighty and flamboyant monster Erasmus. With a heart and humanity, Rudd anchors Paul as the centre of the family, while never losing out the chance to toss off a throwaway line when it's needed.

Unfortunately, Ideal Home unravels a little in its third and final act as a series of narrative speed bumps are introduced for nothing more than dramatic purpose, leading to the resolution feeling rushed and a little disjointed. Certainly the emotional edge that's meant to be inserted by proceedings feels a little flawed, despite everyone's efforts to the contrary.

Equally, some of Bill's initial antagonisms over living with Erasmus and Paul are glossed over, having been hinted at early on - and the social worker intervention (from Alison Pill's character) is put on the back burner in favour of some sight gags.

It's this uneasy mix of uncertainty which slightly cripples Ideal Home, and which thwarts its noble intentions and which means ultimately, in the final strait, the film fumbles its premise and promise.

Sunday, 8 July 2018

F1 2018 - Career Developer Diary 1

SPEAK TO THE PRESS AND MAKE HEADLINES IN F1® 2018

NEW DEVELOPER DIARY DETAILS IMMERSIVE CAREER MODE

SYDNEY, 6^th July 2018 - Codemasters® has today released the first of a four part series of developer diaries for F1® 2018, the official videogame of the 2018 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP™, which reveals how you can ‘Make Headlines’ both on and off the track. New, time-pressured press interviews at key moments throughout your career will put you in the spotlight and immerse you into the world of F1 more than ever before.

The new developer diary, available to view now, details how your interactions with Claire, the new reporter character in F1 2018, will shape the way in which you are seen in the sport and directly affect your career. Will you choose to exhibit showmanship or sportsmanship? Your answers can increase/decrease the motivation within departments in your own team, altering the price or reliability of upgrades, as well as any offers you might receive from rival teams.

“The media are going to play a huge part in the player’s career,” commented F1 2018’s Game Director, Lee Mather. “It's super important for a driver to not just be skilled on track. It's all about being the complete package. The player is going to need to consider how their answers impact the morale of their team and also how other teams in the paddock perceive them.

Lee continued: “Certain teams may like to see a driver who is a great sportsman: demure and calm in front of the press, even under high-pressure situations, while others may want a driver who is more of a showman who can create buzz.”

The answers available to you will develop over time as your character becomes better known within F1. The interviews will take place in new locations in the Paddock and in front of the team and scrutineering garages.

There are further improvements within the career mode. You now have more control over your destiny and can approach rival teams about a potential move, including the opportunity to switch within the season. You also have the opportunity to select your own championship rival.

Details of further enhancements to the career mode will be unveiled in part two of the developer diary series.

F1 2018 will release onto PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, the Xbox One family of devices including the Xbox One X and Windows PC (via Steam) worldwide on Friday 24^th August 2018. Features all of the official teams, the drivers and all 21 circuits of the thrilling 2018 season, this year sees the return of the French and German Grand Prix™ to the calendar meaning that you can now race at Circuit Paul Ricard and the Hockenheimring