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film review

EntertainmentJune 10

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.
Grand dames dish theatre gossip
Grand dames dish theatre gossip
EntertainmentNovember 10

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.
Cringeworthy comedy hard to take
Cringeworthy comedy hard to take
EntertainmentJune 18

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.
The full wrap
The full wrap
EntertainmentJune 16

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.
EntertainmentMay 19

Birds of a feather

Ructions in the Christchurch Poultry, Bantam and Pigeon Club is an unlikely theme for a documentary. 
Birds of a feather
Birds of a feather
EntertainmentMay 19

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-choreographed gunplay of John Woo’s The Killer.
Beautiful bloodletting
Beautiful bloodletting
EntertainmentMay 12

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 surrounding the birth of modern India and Pakistan.
Tall tales from the Raj
Tall tales from the Raj
EntertainmentMay 12

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.
Enough to make you scream
Enough to make you scream
EntertainmentApril 7

Cyborg tale looks amazing

A human brain is being plucked from its inferior casing and fitted into a perfect robot body.
Cyborg tale looks amazing
Cyborg tale looks amazing
EntertainmentApril 7

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.
Trouble brewing
Trouble brewing
EntertainmentMarch 31

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?
And all the young men came too
And all the young men came too
EntertainmentMarch 24

Something alien about ‘Life’

Is there life on Mars? After watching Life (Rialto and Reading) I sincerely hope not. 
Something alien about ‘Life’
Something alien about ‘Life’
EntertainmentMarch 17

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.
Story comes back to life
Story comes back to life
EntertainmentMarch 17

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.
A funny man marooned
A funny man marooned
EntertainmentFebruary 24

Spot the difference

Nostalgia can sometimes be a bad thing.
Spot the difference
Spot the difference
EntertainmentFebruary 24

That academy sheen

Expectations can sometimes be a bad thing. 
That academy sheen
That academy sheen
EntertainmentFebruary 17

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 been coping her whole life with a dad whose idea of funny is a set of novelty teeth. 
Unwelcome intrusions
Unwelcome intrusions
EntertainmentFebruary 17

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 spirituality and redemption. A self-confessed lapsed Catholic, each  of his films deals,  implicitly or explicitly, with religious themes, symbolism and iconography, and this is crucial to understanding his vision as a film-maker.
Scorsese makes a statement
Scorsese makes a statement
EntertainmentJanuary 13

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.
Drawn into the current
Drawn into the current
EntertainmentJanuary 13

Stand by your man

Christine Powley finds the latest film about Jackie Kennedy a rather long 90 minutes.
Stand by your man
Stand by your man
EntertainmentSeptember 23

And baby makes three

Thirty-something Bridget Jones (Renee Zellweger) is now 40-something and despite two earlier movies ending with her paired with Mark Darcy (Colin Firth), Bridget Jones’s Baby (Rialto and Reading) opens with sad single Bridget blowing out the candle on her cupcake birthday-cake for one.
And baby makes three
And baby makes three
EntertainmentSeptember 23

The big questions

In these confusing and restless times, you wouldn’t blame most people for wanting to break free of the trappings of modern consumer culture and live life completely off the grid.
The big questions
The big questions
EntertainmentSeptember 16

Flights of fancy

Dragons have always been low on my list of mythical creatures it would be cool to hang out with but after seeing Pete’s Dragon (Rialto and Readings), I had to change my mind.
Flights of fancy
Flights of fancy
EntertainmentSeptember 9

Cheesey snarlers raise a laugh

If you ever thought Toy Story could have been improved with the addition of a few good dick jokes, then Sausage Party might be right up your alley.
Cheesey snarlers raise a laugh
Cheesey snarlers raise a laugh
EntertainmentSeptember 9

Documentary casts a spell

This unofficial biography is a respectful and fascinating look at the life of Nina Simone.
Documentary casts a spell
Documentary casts a spell