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Bold British Filmmaking – The Marker (Film Review)
IN David Lowery’s recent film A Ghost Story, Casey Affleck plays a bedsheet ghost who wonders around his Texas home while time folds out before him and then comes back around. Affleck’s lingering ghost, beyond its initially juvenile appearance, is one that both speaks to deeply rooted feelings of attachment and grief – as well…
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Baywatch (DVD Review)
AS a child of the 1990s, I had little interaction with the Baywatch television series. In fact, the first time I came into contact with the show was indirectly through an episode of American sitcom Friends (The One Where Eddie Moves In to be precise). The impression, at least left by Joey and Chandler, was…
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Game, Set and Action: Tennis on Film
FEW sports translate better onto the big-screen than tennis. With two competitors (occasionally four) on court, there is not the same clutter of bodies as in football, rugby, hockey or American Football. Likewise, the compact size of the tennis court ensures easily followed and captured action. This back-and-forth action also feeds seamlessly into dramatic storytelling.…
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Scene of the Day – Colin Firth’s Bar Brawl in Kingsman
APART from the odd bit of fisticuffs in Bridget Jones’s Diary, it was hard to imagine Colin Firth starring in a hyper-violent action movie such as Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014). Now, Firth (every woman’s Mr Darcy) is appearing in the sequel – Kingsman: The Golden Circle – which arrives in cinemas tomorrow (20 September).…
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A Clucking Good Time – Pecking Order (Film Review)
FORGET the Oscars. Forget Miss World. Forget the World Cup. The only prize that matters to members of the Christchurch Poultry, Bantam and Pigeon Club is ‘Best Bird in Show’, handed out at the annual New Zealand National Show. Salvko Martinov’s sparkling documentary, Pecking Order (out in cinemas on 29 September), follows this club as…
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Scene of the Day – Jurassic Park T-Rex Tremors
TODAY marks Sam Neill’s 70th birthday. To celebrate this milestone, let us reflect on a scene from the actor’s most iconic movie, Jurassic Park (1993). The Steven Spielberg classic has gone down as one of Hollywood’s greatest triumphs, both commercially and critically. Jurassic Park stands T-Rex tall as a gold standard of blockbuster filmmaking with…
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Dull and Transparent Netflix Original – #RealityHigh (Film Review)
ABOUT five minutes into #RealityHigh you can second-guess every direction the film will take in the next hour and a half. Yes, it is that predictable. As joyless as a ferry journey across the Irish Sea in a full blown storm, this Netflix Original can best be described as a vapid waste of time. Certainly,…
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Scene of the Day – Family Tears in The Wrestler
PUSH IT to one side if you can. It is almost time for Darren Aronofsky’s return to the director’s chair. Mother – out in cinemas this Friday –is already being cited as a fierce return to form for the director after his disappointing biblical tale Noah in 2014. As we wait for the release of…
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IT and UP: Balloons on Film
IT is everywhere. The horror film, based on a Stephen King novel, has captured the public’s imagination in a way that few films manage to. A big part of this has been the use of Pennywise – a creepy clown with a big, cracking white forehead and haunting grin – in the film’s promotion. I,…
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Scene of the Day – Sicario’s Tense Border Showdown
I AM currently a little infatuated with Taylor Sheridan – an accomplished actor, screenwriter and director. Blame it on the hype surrounding his latest release as director and screenwriter, Wind River. Yesterday I spoke about his cutting and Oscar-winning work Hell or High Water. With Wind River now out in cinemas, I want to revisit…
