Herbs: Songs of Freedom: NZIFF Review

Herbs: Songs of Freedom: NZIFF Review

Much like Tearepa Kahi's Poi E documentary did, Herbs: Songs of Freedom looks to pitch New Zealand of your youth against the socioeconomic backdrop of the reggae freedom fighters, Herbs.

Taking in the politics of the 80s in Bastion Point, against a background of a reforming Herbs, some four decades after they began, Kahi's doco has geniality written through as much as it has L&P coursing through its veins.

That is to say, initially, this is a nostalgia blast in some ways, a film that makes you remember those glorious never-ending summers and sets out an OST to your youth that hits you where it should.

However, more than just context,  some flashy graphics (a neon coloured tape illustration is just one of the wonderful images that Kahi drops on to the screen) and some gorgeously shot images from Auckland's Harbour Bridge, is what's needed for Herbs: Songs of Freedom.

And for a large part, the doco fulfills that remit, capturing the intimate moments of the band then and now coming back together, seizing on moments from within the rehearsal hall and detailing how the band came to prominence when Stevie Wonder wouldn't play Western Springs in the 70s as a deluge blew in.

Yet, despite the vim and vigour of the start of the piece, the doco frustratingly fails to capture some of the more interesting narrative threads available. Hints of a bust up and some sour grapes that befell members of the band are alluded to, and not expanded upon. (Though it must be said that Kahi teases details out of various members, chiefly Dilworth Karaka, as if this is some great musical stoush the whole world already knew of.)

The final 30 minutes of the film drift into discord as well, turning the proceedings into Auckland's reunion concert and providing some incredible musical moments, but leaving you feeling like the doco's run out of things to say, but equally leaving you feeling extremely grateful for the music, and for the timelessness of the performers.

Ultimately, Herbs: Songs of Freedom does much to capture the zeitgeist of 80s New Zealand and once again demonstrates Kahi's heartland approach is a voice much needed in the film-making community.

But frustratingly the doco's overall feeling is one of could have been, and one which lacks the full coherence demonstrated by Poi E: The Story of Our Song.

That said it is one which will leave you tapping your toes in the aisle for two thirds of its generous heart.

Mystify: Michael Hutchence:NZIFF Review

Mystify: Michael Hutchence:NZIFF Review

Director Richard Lowenstein pulls together a relatively intimate portrait of the famed INXS rock icon, in a documentary that soars for the majority of its time before crashing into more sombre territory in its final 30 minutes.

Eschewing talking heads and having them provide soundbites over footage from the archives, concert moments and Hutchence himself gives the feel of a family album being narrated by mates and family around a good bottle of wine.

But Lowenstein's also smart enough to pepper the piece with moments of Hutchence himself, allowing the man's clear charisma to shine forth and illuminate the screen.

Vignettes from Kylie Minogue about their relationship and earlier lovers help build a portrait of a man lost in the world at some point - but also humanise Hutchence beyond the rock icon label that he's gained since his death at 37.

In some ways, Mystify: Michael Hutchence is a relatively formulaic doco presented in an albeit unusual way.

There's no denying the music still stands strong, and Lowenstein wisely uses only a smattering of the live footage to boost the appeal of the Aussie.

But the film hits a screeching halt and almost derails as it reveals the change in Hutchence after a head injury. It appears to echo Michael himself in that the tone shifts awkwardly from more hedonistic fare to an almost funereal pace that wonders dangerously close into mawkish territory.

And there's an odd feeling towards the end that veers dangerously into hagiography with various drugs issues mentioned, albeit fleetingly, and hinted at rather than doing anything to darken the appeal of Michael Hutchence.

There's a sense of being too close to the subject - but it's a double-edged sword, as without the closeness, there wouldn't have been the abundance of footage to present something compelling.

All in all, Mystify: Michael Hutchence is a fine tribute to the star, and one that explains the appeal to all, rather than just fans.

Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw: Film Review

Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw: Film Review

Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Jason statham, Idris Elba, Vanessa Kirby, Ryan Reynolds
Director: David Leitch

Fast and Furious: Hobbs and Shaw is an assault on your cinematic senses.

A highly stylised, intensely choreographed piece of leave-your-brain-at-the-door cinema going, this beat-em-up bloodless bromance is all about hits to the head rather than massaging the brain.

In this latest, Johnson's Hobbs and Statham's Shaw are forced to set differences aside (a little) to track down rogue MI6 agent Hattie (Kirby, keeping up with the boys), who's apparently stolen a bio-weapon that can destroy the world. 

But hot on their heels is cyborg-powered Brixton (Elba)...

Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw is pure blockbuster action, that cares not for sense or sensibility.

Fight sequences have replaced the Fast and Furious’ trademark action sequences and while initially it’s welcome, the non-stop barrage of beat downs becomes tedious.

In between it all, Statham and The Rock’s continual quarreling fills the time, as these frenemies are forced to face up to the franchise’s enforced code of family, shoehorned in as it is.

It’s OTT to the point of ridiculous at times, but it’s the frisson between the duo that just keeps this action movie alive for its bloated run time. It's best not to think things like how Johnson's character can take a full bottle to the face, and emerge without a scratch at all - it's that kind of film, and oddly that kind of thing - like with the CGI - that can take you out of the goings on.

Kudos must also go to Vanessa Kirby who proves she can kick ass with the best of them and who uses her eyes to convey much more depth than either of the leads can. And Elba proves a welcome addition to the series, layering his Brixton with considerable swagger as the bad guy.

All in all though, Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw has little to no stakes, and really doesn't care about any kind of reality in the hyper stylish edges. It's instantly forgettable fare, and probably not one of the franchise's best - setting up a spinoff universe induces eye rolls, but what is truly missing from Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw is the heart that imbues a lot of the original franchise.

The Day Shall Come: NZIFF Review

The Day Shall Come: NZIFF Review

Lacking the savagery of a lot of Chris Morris' earlier work, and based on "a hundred true stories", The Day Shall Come's tale of ineptitude reeks of some of the themes laid down in the brilliant Four Lions and which course through the veins of his work like Brass Eye and The Day Today.

In this latest, which heads to America, Morris tells the tale of Marchant Davis' Moses, who leads a church of six (basically, his family plus a couple of hangers-on) who are trying to build a farm in downtown.

Heading up the Star of Six, and constantly praising Black Santa, Moses is waiting for the day he and his followers are called to "overturn the accidental dominance of the white people."

But through an escalation of circumstances, Moses is thrust into the middle of an FBI office looking to make arrests of Jihadi to stand out, putting his idealism beliefs in the firing line of idiocy.

Essentially, The Day Shall Come sees Morris tackling themes he's already dealt with with his co-writers and perhaps more successfully so in Four Lions; the escalating one upmanship of those in power, the rise of idealism and the downtreading of the common man and their rights.

However what feels most disappointing about The Day Shall Come is how tame it appears to be when compared to the rest of his work.

Using his outrage more sharply, both he and co-writer Jesse Armstrong could have gone for savage barbs, instead of occasionally tame jabs. It's a major disappointment that feels under-developed and weak in parts, even if there are a couple of quotable moments which are up there with "Rubber Dinghy Rapids" from Four Lions.

The film's shot and edited in a workmanlike way, and Denis O'Hare and Anna Kendrick are simply okay in proceedings - it's with Marchant Davis the film rests. The debut actor's humanity shines through, and it's only the script that lets him down, leaving you feeling his arc's end is nowhere near as tragic or outrageous as it should have been.

Depressingly, The Day Shall Come will get lost in the pantheon of Morris' other work - it lacks the clarity and precision of the satirist that we needed for these times we live in, and consequently, it's underwhelming.

Cold Case Hjammarskjold: NZIFF Review

Cold Case Hjammarskjold: NZIFF Review

What starts off as a zany eccentric's investigation into a 58 year old cold case soon turns into one of the weirdest offerings of the New Zealand International Film Festival.

Doco maker Mads Brugger, who appeared at the festival in 2012 with The Ambassador, heads up Cold Case Hjammarskjold, his investigation into the death of United Nations Secretary General Dag Hjammarskjold.

For years, the death has been mired in a conspiracy theory that Hjammarskjold was assassinated, something which time and theories have multiplied.

It's into this wormhole that Brugger plunges, dragging his audience with him as he and fellow Scandi investigator Göran Björkdahl, see what they can find. But what they turn up swiftly shifts the film from a comic outing of degrees of madman zaniness into something which may be one of the biggest scandals of our lifetime.

That is, if it's true.

Part of Cold Case Hjammarskjold's thrill is a bit about indulging the crazy in all of us, but there's a noticeable shift when Brugger discovers something he'd never intended to - it's at this point the entire film flips and shifts on its own paradigm and makes you question what you've watched.

It may be 130 minutes long, but Cold Case Hjammarskjold hurtles along, partly due to the geniality of Brugger and the "Are you kidding me" content of what he's looking into. It's this which propels Cold Case Hjammarskjold along, because in parts, it's largely about indulging the conspiracy theorist among us all.

Not once does Brugger put his claims to anyone in some kind of authority, preferring us to draw our conclusions with only one side of the evidence submitted. It doesn't make it any the less fascinating, but it does reflect the times we live in, a kind of madcap world where one person's word is taken as gospel.

And while there are plenty of people indulging this gospel, Brugger's decision not to go elsewhere leaves a strange tinge in your throat - especially given his claims and what he apparently uncovers.

Simultaneously indulging the meta-side of investigative documentaries and also providing something that flips the genre, Cold Case Hjammarskjold is the most indefinable and singular film of the entire festival.

NZIFF 2019 Q&A with Ben Berman, director of The Amazing Johnathan Documentary

NZIFF 2019 Q&A with Ben Berman, director of The Amazing Johnathan Documentary

My film is.... The Amazing Johnathan Documentary

The moment I'm most proud of is ...
Embracing the unforeseen and unplanned. At the start I started making what I thought the film would be and then it changed and I had to lean into the problem instead of running away.

The reason I carried on with this film when it got tough is ...
I’m a pretty persistent person and I knew I couldn’t give up so just found other ways to attack the movie.

The one moment that will resonate with an audience is …
Drugs.

The hardest thing I had to cut from this film is … During the filming I kept asking Johnathan what he thought the title should be and every six months I would get a new answer. I really wanted to include that but it just didn’t work.

The thing I want people to take from this film is ...
Just question everything and everyone. It’s healthy to question what is real and what’s not.

The one thing I'd say to aspiring filmmakers is … Be persistent and don’t give up.

Animals: NZIFF Review

Animals: NZIFF Review

52 Tuesdays director Sophia Hyde heads to Dublin for this tale of female friendship in among the arty sector.

Holliday Grainger and Alia Shawkat are best mates, Laura and Tyler. Laura's been trying to write a book for nigh on 10 years now and has as many pages as she's spent years doing it. Tyler, a barista, spends her days waiting for the nights, disappearing into a haze of booze and friendly banter, as well as flirtatious talk at parties.

But when Laura meets Fra Fee's Jim, a talented pianist, she falls for his talent and his charms, throwing a spanner in the works of the hedonistic partnership.

Hyde's Animals has a vibrant energy to start off with, but it soon falls away, leaving Grainger to take the lead where really it should be Shawkat's character who comes into the spotlight.

There's an empowerment in place here, but in all honesty, the familiarity of the story arc prevents the film from truly transcending.

What is obvious though is the impressive performances of both Grainger and Shawkat who remain eminently watchable throughout, even if the film feels like its petering out before it's even begun.

The bottom line with Animals is that it's perfectly pleasant, but ultimately ends up being somewhat forgettable, dampening down its opening fire with fare that feels too familiar and underused to linger a long time in the after memory.