Boyhood

Posted 11:52pm Sunday 7th September 2014

Rating: A Boyhood is Richard Linklater’s ambitious project to film the same cast over a 12-year period to document the journey of fictional child Mason between ages 6 to 18. In true Linklater style, he makes it look easy. The first time the film jumps ahead and I saw a noticeably older Read more...

Housebound

Posted 5:55pm Sunday 31st August 2014

Rating: A- Does anyone else feel the pressure to love any film made in New Zealand? Like there’s a special place in hell for those that don’t support Kiwi comedy? What I’m saying is, I do. So when reviewers and punters alike starting raving about Kiwi-made horror-comedy Housebound, a voice Read more...

At Berkeley

Posted 9:43pm Sunday 3rd August 2014

At Berkeley is an in-depth, atmospheric documentary study of what life is like at the University of California, one of the most prestigious universities in the world today. Any movie that examines a famous academic institution with amazing facilities, scarily intelligent students, and incredible Read more...

Interview: Bill Gosden - International Film Festival Director

Posted 5:12pm Sunday 20th July 2014

In the Auckland and Wellington International Film Festival, there is between 150-170 films playing. And slightly less in Dunedin? Yes, but Dunedin is quite big. I haven’t counted exactly but it’s in the mid 90s. The thing is, with the availability of everything digitally, the time has now passed Read more...

Jersey Boys

Posted 5:12pm Sunday 20th July 2014

Rating: B- Let me start by saying that Jersey Boys the stage musical is SO FREAKING GOOD. Following the true story of the mob-associated New Jersey lads’ rise to fame as the squeaky-clean pop sensations The Four Seasons, it included dozens of impeccably-performed hits that you had no idea Read more...

The Stepford Wives

Posted 2:07pm Sunday 25th May 2014

Cult Film No, I am not referring to the 2004 Nicole Kidman monstrosity that left us all cold and more than a little bit confused. The original 1975 The Stepford Wives was everything the remake was not – brave, tense and extremely unnerving. Unlike the (attempted comedy) of Frank Oz’s remake, Read more...

Chef

Posted 2:07pm Sunday 25th May 2014

Rating: B- One should always be wary of a film that was written, produced and directed by the starring actor, and Chef is no exception. Jon Faverau is the guilty party in question, as he occupied all the major production roles to bring us a film we could quite frankly do without. The story Read more...

Sunshine on Leith

Posted 4:32pm Sunday 18th May 2014

Rating: B+ You may know the Proclaimers as those Scottish guys who sang “I would walk 500 miles, and I would walk 500 more, just to be the man who walked a thousand miles before I’m at your door.” Yeah, you know what I’m talking about. Turns out they have heaps of other songs, and are really Read more...

Divergent

Posted 3:11pm Sunday 11th May 2014

Rating: B+ I have to admit, my expectations were not soaring for Divergent, as all the pre-release chatter seemed to indicate it was some kind of poor man’s Hunger Games but with way more leather jackets. Although this is partly true (so many cows died in the making of this film), I have to Read more...

Little Rascals (1994)

Posted 4:20pm Sunday 4th May 2014

Classic Film The one glimmer of light in the otherwise horrid time period that constitutes the school holidays is that general access television plays impeccable children’s films (I use the term “children” very lightly). Nothing could have soothed my pain of riding on a bus full of fondling Read more...