Remember Footrot Flats? Of course you do. You probably didn’t even need that link, unless you’re a wee little thing or new to the country. Murray Ball’s cartoon strip about farm life and a dog named Dog ran every day in the Evening Post for nearly 20 years. In fact, in 1987, Footrot Flats: A […]
Despite the shocking and inexplicable decision to omit Patrick Keiller’s Robinson in Ruins from this year’s Film Festival (a disaster applicable only to me I think) the actual line-up is as good as everyone says. At least I think it is from surveying about 20 out of the 160+ titles in the programme – hardly […]
Shot in Auckland and put together in Miramarwood, “The Warrior’s Way” is an NZ/South Korea/US East-West samurai-cowboy green-screen action-fx tongue-in-cheek cheese-fest mash-up. While this fine Oscar-worthy feature has unbelievably gone straight to DVD in NZ, following sold-out screenings at the Roxy last weekend (wrangled by its Wellington editor Jonno Woodford‑Robinson) there are three more this […]
For this year’s World Cinema Showcase preview I started with a list of all the films I wanted to see and then realised that I had used up my entire world limit. So, forgive me if these briefs are brief but this year’s Showcase is as heavyweight as it’s ever been (and runs for three […]
On Thursday I took a step back in time to the early 1930s and entered the Roxy Cinema. Dan will, I’m sure, tell you more later about just what sort of cinema the Roxy is. For those who can’t wait it’s the first purpose-built 3D cinema in the country, with the best technology out there. […]
Brooklyn School has organised a special screening of shorts this Sunday (3 April) at the Paramount to raise funds for Redcliffs School in Christchurch, which reopened last week after the February 22nd earthquake. Following a selection of NZ film classics — including Sima Urale’s beautiful and poignant debut “O Tamaiti” — you’ll be able to […]
We like our blue cheese served with honey at Pollux, and we like our cocktails honey-rimmed at S&M. It’s fair to say that we here at the Wellingtonista are fans of bees, no matter what their political affiliations may be. That said, everyone knows we’re a bunch of pinko lefties, so it’s only fitting that […]
All over the world it is volunteer organisations like the Wellington Film Society that keep the flame of film art alive so that cinephiliacs like me can get a decent palate cleanser every Monday night after a weekend of Hollywood tosh. I can’t recommend Society membership highly enough. Your membership fee equates to around three […]
In 1969 John Wayne won his only Academy Award for his portrayal of the irascible one-eyed US Marshal Rooster Cogburn in True Grit, hired by young Kim Darby to avenge the murder of her father. Now the ever-surprising Coen Brothers have brought us their interpretation (back to Charles Portis’ original novel, with evidently no reference […]
I understand that New Zealand is proportionally the biggest market in the world for dance movies – the Step Ups, Stomping the Yards, dance battle films are huge here – so I wonder whether that will hold true for a psychological drama set in the world of classical ballet. Black Swan is Darren Aronofsky’s follow-up […]