You Don't Nomi: NZIFF Review

You Don't Nomi: NZIFF Review

While it scores points for its pun in the title, You Don't Nomi loses out on the documentary stakes, pulling together something that lacks the pull and draw of the trashfire piece it's examining.

That piece is Paul Verhoeven's critically dividing, the stultifyingly unsexy 1995 movie Showgirls.

Tackling the critical mauling the film got on its initial release back in the 90s, director Jeffrey McHale takes a look at what happened to the film, why it got another life, and why it's worth considering again.

But what emerges from You Don't Nomi is that it's a doco with not too much to say for those who already know the story of Showgirls, and its rise from the ashes. Using context of the time, and positing that Verhoeven's derided when he steps away from the violence and machismo of his other movies, McHale makes the case, once again, that this movie is misunderstood.

Voiceovers provide interviews, offer insights and generally pontificate on what went wrong, why those who made it go wrong are wrong and why it deserves to live again. Archive footage of Verhoeven amid filming makes it clear the blame lies at his feet, but where You Don't Nomi is more successful is in examining how the film was probably released at the wrong time.

Equally more enticing, and feeling absent for all throughout is Showgirls' original star, Nomi Malone aka Elizabeth Berkley. The doco offers little from her, which is a shame given the movie destroyed her, until near the end, and in the briefest of moments shows how she was unfairly vilified for the film's floppage, which lies solely at someone else's feet.

You Don't Nomi delivers clips in a smart and clever way, reframing them within other Verhoeven fare, but it's the sole directorial flair the documentary offers - if the focus had been tighter, or we'd have followed Berkley more both during, after and now it could have offered a fascinating insight into what makes a phenomenon, a cult failure and subsequent rise from the ashes.

Instead, what emerges from You Don't Nomi is a tediously flaccid doco that emerges with very little to say - and certainly not enough to engage an audience for its 90 minute run time.

The Farewell: NZIFF Review

The Farewell: NZIFF Review

Director Lulu Wang puts family drama and reunion squarely on the table in this piece which is based on an actual lie, as the opening title board points out.

Chinese born Billi (Awkwafina, in a muted and conflicted turn) lives in New York, with her mother and father, and is a struggling writer. When she learns that her beloved Nai Nai is dying, her immediate desire is to get back to China and help her cope.

But the family decides to withhold the fatal cancer diagnosis from Nai Nai, telling her she only has benign shadows on her X-Rays and that she's fine. However, they all decide to fly back to China under the pretence of a wedding for one final family reunion.

The clash of familial duty and the affairs of the heart comes delicately together in The Farewell, and is all anchored by Crazy Rich Asians' Awkwafina's rueful turn that brings together both the inner turmoil and deep emotions needed in something that projects her from the screen into the stratosphere.

But as the subtleties of familial relationships are poured through the prism of escalating tensions and imminent sadness of the loss of the matriarch, the film pivots on its ideas and never milks the emotion for easy drama.

East vs West is explored (obviously) and the family arguments and discussions are all set against some gorgeously shot scenes of dining and food.

It all means that Wang brings together the film in ways that are warm, earnest and also amusing. From Nai Nai's nagging to Billi about how she shouldn't wear earrings in New York as they'll be ripped from her ears to the reunion of the two brothers after twenty-plus years, this is a film that's rich in nuance and deep in feeling.

The Farewell is a nuanced take on family, one that balances perfectly on resonance.

It may be based on an actual lie, but its truths are universal and its performance by Awkwafina is delicate and complex, and well worth absorbing.

Les Miserables: NZIFF Review

Les Miserables: NZIFF Review

Director Ladj Ly's urgent street film crackles with an unpredictability that's hard to cope with throughout.

Centring on a very familiar trope (a new cop joins an urban crack unit) and stretched out over one day in the poverty-stricken streets of inner Paris, it's the tale of new cop Ruiz as he partners up with the anti-crime brigade's Chris and Gwada on a day when France is celebrating a win in the football.

At first, the nation seems united, but as Ruiz begins to discover there are fragile and uneasy allegiances and pacts which punctuate the daily routine of life on the streets. However, when a lion cub is stolen from a visiting gypsy circus, it becomes the light which is igniting the touch paper and threatens to blow a powderkeg dangerously open.

Electric in every frame, and wildly unpredictable, Ly's street drama is part Training Day, part The Shield and all parts thrilling as it crackles and builds its way through a tension that gnaws at you.

It may begin with France seeming unified but as the banlieues are patrolled, Ly shows how France is still divided with immigration, with seething resentments and with simmering tensions, and uneasy lines to be negotiated by those seemingly in power.

Morals are thrust into the viewers' hands, and while Ly isn't keen to point out who's right or wrong, it appears clear early on as the camera swirls around all sides during various confrontations. Never really overplaying the drama helps greatly as the story unfolds, with tragedy never too far away.

While the Victor Hugo allusions are minimal, but obvious, Les Miserables points to society being to blame as the gritty film ends with a denouement for the ages. It's heart-poundingly thrilling and utterly compelling from beginning to end, and best experienced with a less-you-know attitude to ensure the ride is as taut as you'd want from one of the first unmissable films of the New Zealand International Film Festival.

NZIFF 2019 Q&A - Tearepa Kahi for HERBS: Songs of Freedom

NZIFF 2019 Q&A - Tearepa Kahi for HERBS: Songs of Freedom

HERBS: Songs of Freedom will receive its world premiere at the NZ International Film Festival on August 3rd, followed by a nationwide general release on August 15th

My film is....
HERBS: Songs of Freedom

The moment I'm most proud of is....
Seeing these men sound checking together together for the first time in 39 years.

The reason I carried on with this film when it got tough is.....
Belief. Belief in them, belief in their music and belief in the idea that a guitar can be a powerful tool for change.

The one moment that will resonate with an audience is.......
Listening to Tama Renata, sing goodbye to his dearly departed friend, Charlie Tumahai.

The hardest thing I had to cut from this film is........ 
More amazing music.

The thing I want people to take from this film is ...... 
'Uncles matter' and 'nothing heals like music'.

The reason I love the NZIFF is.......
The way it delivers on its promise every year to bring the hearts, minds and imaginations of the year's greatest story tellers into our world, during Matariki.

What I want to see at this year's NZIFF is......Les Miserables and Maria By Callas and lots and lots of others.

The one thing I'd say to aspiring filmmakers is.....
Never be afraid to throw away the map and get lost.

TOP GUN: MAVERICK | First Official Trailer and Poster

TOP GUN: MAVERICK | First Official Trailer and Poster

 

FIRST OFFICIAL TRAILER AND POSTER AVAILABLE NOW!

Tom Cruise surprises Hall H in San Diego as the Top Gun: Maverick official trailer soars at Comic-Con 50!

TOP GUN: MAVERICK IS IN NZ THEATRES JUNE 25, 2020

Paramount Pictures, Skydance and Jerry Bruckheimer Films Present

In Association with Tencent Pictures

A Don Simpson / Jerry Bruckheimer Production

A Joseph Kosinski Film

Tom Cruise

“Top Gun: Maverick”

DIRECTED BY

Joseph Kosinski

EXECUTIVE PRODUCED BY

Tommy Harper, Chad Oman, Mike Stenson, Dana Goldberg, Don Granger 

PRODUCED BY

Jerry Bruckheimer, David Ellison

STARRING

Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Glen Powell, Lewis Pullman with Ed Harris

*CREDITS ARE NOT FINAL AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE*

#TopGun

CATS - official first look trailer

CATS - official first look trailer

Cast and Crew

Director: Tom Hooper (Les Misèrables)

Based on the collection of poems by T.S. Elliot and musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber

Produced by: Steven Spielberg (War Horse), Andrew Lloyd Webber (CATS, Phantom of the Opera), Debra Hayward (Les Misèrables), Tim Bevan(Les Misèrables), Eric Fellner (Les Misèrables), Angela Morrison (Les Misèrables), Jo Burn (Game of Thrones)

Written by: Lee Hall (Rocketman), Andrew Lloyd Webber (CATS, Phantom of the Opera), Tom Hooper (Les Misèrables)

Cast: Sir Ian McKellen (The Lord of the Rings), Idris Elba (Luther), Dame Judi Dench (The Best Marigold Hotel), Jennifer Hudson (Dream Girls), Rebel Wilson (Pitch Perfect), Taylor Swift, Jason Derulo, James Corden (Into the Woods) and introducing Royal Ballet principal dancer Francesca Hayward in her feature film debut.

Synopsis

Oscar®-winning director Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech, Les Misérables, The Danish Girl) transforms Andrew Lloyd Webber’s record-shattering stage musical into a breakthrough cinematic event. Featuring Lloyd Webber’s iconic music and a world-class cast of dancers under the guidance of Tony-winning choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler (Hamilton, In the Heights), the film reimagines the musical for a new generation with spectacular production design, state-of-the-art technology, and dance styles ranging from classical ballet to contemporary, hip-hop to jazz, street dance to tap.

 

NZIFF 2019 Q&A - Paloma Schneideman - Memory Foam (part of Short Connections)

NZIFF 2019 Q&A - Paloma Schneideman - Memory Foam (part of Short Connections)

My film is....Memory Foam, a story about a middle aged married couple, who are shopping for a new bed, but as they shop it becomes obvious that their bed isn't the only thing they've out grown.

The moment I'm most proud of is.... The actor's rich and layered performances throughout.

The reason I carried on with this film when it got tough is..... 
Because I had signed a contract with the film commission saying I'd deliver a film... No I joke, I felt I needed to tell this story because it taps into so many universal truths about relationships, it was important for me to put this out to the universe so others can see themselves in it and maybe feel less alone in their complexities and experiences. Also having an amazing team of collaborators who believed in the work drove the desire and motivation to get it made.

The one moment that will resonate with an audience is....... The whole thing is intended to resonate with the audience, if you haven't experienced it first had you definitely would have witnessed a relationship like this. Ultimately, I guess  it's that disconnect between two people for no obvious reason, but still a foundation of love that binds you together - I think that will most resonate with an audience.

The hardest thing I had to cut from this film is........
The endless hilarious improvs the actors were offering up. If I had it my way it'd be 25 minutes longer.

The thing I want people to take from this film is ...... 
It's hard to say because even as the writer/director, I can't predict the fate of our protagonists, so I don't know how a viewer will feel about that lack of resolution.. I hope there's lots of post viewing conversation around relationships, love, connection. I want this film to hold up a mirror for self-reflection, and if they find themselves stuck in something, maybe they will find the courage to change their circumstance.

The reason I love the NZIFF is.......
The diversity it represents and making foreign and arthouse cinema more accessible. The celebration of cinema from Aotearoa.

What I want to see at this year's NZIFF is......
Portrait of a Lady on Fire... I'm here for Céline Sciamma and any films told with a female sensibility.

The one thing I'd say to aspiring filmmakers is….. Even if you don't get funding, even if you shoot it on your iphone,  Tell the story you were put on this earth to tell. Tell the story you have the right to tell.