It’s that time of year when the serious Oscar contenders start rolling out. The plan is usually to release a film between the Golden Globes (or the Oscar noms) and the Academy Awards night, maximising the attention before your films turn into losers (as most of them will). So, it’s going to be a busy […]
Those of us around the Civic Square or waterfront areas may have noticed a bit of a kerfuffle involving a fleet of Minis hooning where cars aren’t normally allowed. This is, it turns out, part of a Wellington-based shoot for the film “Players”, a cheeky Bollywood remake of the Michael Caine classic “The Italian Job”. […]
This weekend, film fans, you can watch the new animated Yogi Bear movie in two different formats, compare the two and then have an erudite discussion of the related strengths and weaknesses of the new “re-booted franchise” versus the beloved, barely 2D, original. Or, you can watch a drama about female circumcision. Tough call. Dan […]
A New Year brings with it several resolutions and one of those is that I will return to regular contributions here at The Wellingtonista. So, until I collapse under the strain, every Thursday I’ll present a quick rundown of what’s opening at local cinemas. This week Disney offers us an animated 3D “adventure”, Tangled (previously […]
This Friday and Saturday night, film maker Julie Hill (who’s name you may recognise from her work at Radio New Zealand and on Frontseat ) is screening the premiere of her documentary, Baby where are the fine things you promised me? at the Film Archive. The doco follows local actor Stephen Bain and his protest […]
We get to keep The Hobbit. Yay! Everyone has opinions on the matter, because everyone knows someone who’s worked on LOTR (my mum made some of the mugs in the “it comes in pints?” scene in the last movie). We’re stoked for the people who work in our film industry, but less impressed about the […]
NZ On Screen – the brilliant website dedicated to putting New Zealand film, television and music video online – is celebrating its second birthday. So to help celebrate, let us delve into the NZ On Screen archives and see what Wellington gems are to be seen. Monaco Monza Macao Wellington (1990) A TV doco looking […]
It’s Labour Weekend and, as such, you can pretty much guarantee that the weather will be filthy and the movies will be the place to be. So, what is there to choose from?
Nora Ephron made Sleepless in Seattle back in the day (and wrote When Harry Met Sally) and now she has cunningly merged two best-selling books into one film – Julie & Julia. On one hand Julie Powell (Amy Adams) attempts to cook every recipe in Julia Childs’ famous cookbook for a blog project and on the other hand Meryl Streep portrays the real Julia Childs and her transformation from American intelligence agent to one of the great cooks of Europe. Readings, Empire, Penthouse, Embassy (sharing with the Italian Film Festival), Lighthouse, Sky City Queensgate.
The Italian Film Festival once again surveys the best of recent Italian commercial cinema. Based at their entirely appropriate new home of the Embassy Theatre, the Festival screens 16 different feature films over the next two weeks and the range means that there will (almost certainly) be something for everyone.
Highlights include The Girl By the Lake, a gripping psychological whodunit that won several Donatello Awards (the Italian Oscars) in 2008 as well as two prizes at the 2007 Venice Film Festival. Set distinctively in the northern Italian Dolemite region, the film follows the police investigation of a young girl’s death. Inscrutable detective Toni Servillo discovers several suspects, meanwhile his personal own life isn’t going so well.
As that old war film quote goes, "it’s quiet, too quiet": only three films opening this weekend as the mad rush of the last few weeks works its way through the system.
Back from the Festival (and haven’t I had to say that a lot recently?) is An Education, adapted by Nick Hornby from Lynn Barber’s memoir of growing up in 1960s England "before it became the 60s". Wise bods are picking newcomer Carey Mulligan for an Oscar nomination next year as the lead, and she’s very solid support from the likes of Alfred Molina, Emma Thompson and Peter Saarsgard (whose English accent is very good judging by the trailer). The director is Lone Scherfig who came out of the Dogme movement in the late 90s but also made the dark comedy Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself. Empire, Penthouse and Lighthouse.
The rest of this week’s new releases after the jump.