Grand dames dish theatre gossip
If your idea of bliss is watching elderly actors dishing theatrical gossip, then Tea with the Dames is for you, writes Christine Powley.
Film Review
Cringeworthy comedy hard to take
Cringeworthy comedy hard to take
A large part of the problem I had with Ingrid Goes West (Rialto) was that it bills itself as a comedy, but it is that cringe comedy I find hard to take.
The full wrap
The full wrap
Musical biopics, if you'll excuse the pun, often get a bad rap by their very nature of having to condense the entire life and career of a musician into a few hours of screen time in a way that's somehow satisfying to both fans and general audiences, while also carrying a narrative arc worthy of any cinematic tale, real or otherwise.
Looking the part
Looking the part
There are some roles that all serious actors aspire to; once they were Shakespearian, but in the decades since World War 2, a real character has emerged to test the skills of eminent actors.
Beautiful bloodletting
Beautiful bloodletting
2014’s John Wick is a prime example of the modern-day American action movie done to perfection; a supercool merging of Jean-Pierre Melville’s existential noir classic Le Samourai with the ultra...
Birds of a feather
Birds of a feather
Ructions in the Christchurch Poultry, Bantam and Pigeon Club is an unlikely theme for a documentary.
Tall tales from the Raj
Tall tales from the Raj
Viceroy’s House (Rialto and Metro), the story of the ignoble retreat of the British from India, is a passion project for director Gurinder Chadha, as her own family was caught up in the violence...
Enough to make you scream
Enough to make you scream
Much of the pre-release chatter leading up to this second instalment of the Alien prequel series has revolved around whether it would atone for the relative failure of Prometheus.
Cyborg tale looks amazing
Cyborg tale looks amazing
A human brain is being plucked from its inferior casing and fitted into a perfect robot body.
Trouble brewing
Trouble brewing
"The Coming War on China" presents the alarming case for an inevitable and potentially catastrophic conflict between the world’s two greatest superpowers the US and China.
And all the young men came too
And all the young men came too
Is there any real need for Disney to take its beloved animated fairy stories and turn them into live action dramas?
Something alien about ‘Life’
Something alien about ‘Life’
Is there life on Mars? After watching Life (Rialto and Reading) I sincerely hope not.
Story comes back to life
Story comes back to life
I was reluctant to see Loving (Rialto) because this true story of the struggle of an interracial couple in early 1960s Virginia seemed like an opportunity for cinematic grandstanding.
A funny man marooned
A funny man marooned
Auckland-based trio thedownlowconcept are well known in these parts for producing 7 Days, which on a good night can be one of the funniest things around, although much of it hangs on whoever is on the panel in any given week.
That academy sheen
That academy sheen
Expectations can sometimes be a bad thing.
Spot the difference
Spot the difference
Nostalgia can sometimes be a bad thing.
Unwelcome intrusions
Unwelcome intrusions
As a striving, dynamic young career woman, the last thing you would want is for your oddball father to turn up at your office pretending to be a colleague. Of course, Ines (Sandra Huller) has...
Scorsese makes a statement
Scorsese makes a statement
In a career spanning more than 50 years and 24 narrative features, the one consistent thread running through Martin Scorsese’s work has not been guns and gangsters, but rather an obsession with...
Drawn into the current
Drawn into the current
I went to Moana knowing that this was a Pacific story set in Samoa and Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson was the voice of the demi-god Maui.
Stand by your man
Stand by your man
Christine Powley finds the latest film about Jackie Kennedy a rather long 90 minutes.