Right now there’s a group of expat Americans drinking nervously in JJ Murphy’s, and we’re joining them in hoping that there will be more of a party in Chicago than Arizona tonight.

Knock on wood – Northern Rata wood at that!

Tonight the Wellingtonista Season of NZ features at the Film Archive is sadly coming to a close. However tonight’s film Carry Me Back is a rollicking ride from 1982 featuring a Ranfurly Shield Match, a boozy ferry crossing and a deceased farmer.

A comedy about two brothers who smuggle their dead father back to his farm in order to receive their inheritance, the film stars Grant Tilley among others, was directed by John Reid, art directed by Jim Barr, and based on a story by Joy Cowley!  

Screening tonight at 7pm, there’s a complimentary glass of wine with each ticket ($8/$6 concession). 

As Jane Clifton writes, "The script is excellent, with no shortage of wonderful lines – and it’s beautifully filmed. Carry Me Back revels in Wellington at its grottiest, and its most breath-taking…"

Clam, crab, cockle, cowrie….

The folks from Intersect have created a snappy little poster for their upcoming event at the The Southern Cross tomorrow night.  While I am not sure that even Joanna Newsom and her harp could weave whimsy with CO2 themed alliteration, I am pretty sure that Joni Mitchell has worked a few of these into a song  at some point.

What do cars, cows, cement and conifers have in common?

Why, emissions trading of course.

If you want some educating on the ins and outs of carbon trading, Leah Murphy (from the Ministry of Transport) and Amy Kearse (from the Ministry for the Environment) will be talking us through the economics and the opportunities.

Where: The Artist’s Room, Southern Cross on Able Smith Street

When: Tuesday 4 November, 6:00pm start

This event finishes before quiz at 8:00pm and the Wellingtonista are back on top again at quiz, so come on down and try to knock us off our perch.

I dare ya.

BATS Theatre’s new play Heat starts this Friday, and has been selling itself on an unusual point: "eco-theatre". The show’s lights and sound will be completely off-grid, and the preparations for the sustainable energy sources were visible over the weekend.

Such a ploy could come across as gimmicky, but it’s designed to mimic the constraints of its setting, an Antarctic survival capsule. And with talent such as playwright Lynda Chanwai-Earle and composer Gareth Farr involved, it’s bound to have a lot of appeal, and one of the actors even has the appropriate name Brian Hotter.

For those of you who missed the recent screening of Shaker Run at the Wellingtonista Film Festival (next up, Carry Me Back on Wed 5 Nov), here’s one of the best bits: a car chase through the streets of mid-80s Wellington, then up and over the Rimutaka Hill Road…

[youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roFmeudE6Sc]

Says Kiran, in a review over at Texture

The film is like one long, extended stunt scene. Endless car-chases, explosions and fancy racecar tricks around the South Island and Wellington left me feeling exhausted…

This particular Wellingtonista was just down at a protest taking place at the Greater Wellington Regional Council offices.

Of course, the GWRC transport plans (PDF) are well worth protesting about: more roads, no light rail? Despite the hundreds (and the great majority) of submissions asking for the opposite? 

As Wellington City Councillor and Greens’ spokesperson Iona Pannett points out…

The Plan ignores Wellingtonians’ huge support for more public transport, their opposition to new tunnels and Wellington City’s commitment to carbon neutrality … Over 4,500 people made submissions on the study the Plan is based on, with 3,750 people supporting light rail, more buses and walking and cycling options whilst opposing the two tunnels and flyover. In contrast only 480 people submitted that the tunnels should be built. So, by a ratio of nearly 8 to 1 there was huge support for public transport and opposition to roads…

Quite.

But, what really caught the eye was the many protesters placards. Not so much the front of them, but the back. It was heartening to see the Greens and their allies recycling (presumably) discarded Real Estate signage upon which to display their protest slogans. Nice.

Wellington has secured the rights to host the 2011 Tae Kwon Do (or Taekwondo, Taekwan-Do, or other variations, depending on where you look) World Champs. 

New Zealand finished 3rd at the 2007 World Champs (note, link is to a PDF of the medals table), and, with the sport thriving in NZ, the home team is expected to do well with the next event on home turf.

To celebrate, the International Taekwon-Do Foundation of New Zealand has organised a Taekwon-Do demonstration today (Thursday 30 Oct), which will, ahem, kick off at 2:30pm at Civic Square.

Halloween approaches and what better way to celebrate than to scare yourself shitless watching what’s rumoured to be the scariest movie ever produced in this country? Yep, the Wellingtonista Film Season at the Film Archive continues at 7pm on Wednesday the 29th October with Glenn Standring’s notorious The Irrefutable Truth About Demons.

The Irrefutable Truth About Demons (official site) centres on Dr Harry Ballard (Karl Urban), a University lecturer who has become obsessed with exposing cults since the recent death of his brother. “The story unfolds,” explains Standring, “when Harry is attacked by this horrible cult, at which point he has to try and work out whether there is just a weird cult chasing him, or whether, there are in fact demons. So he goes through a whole reality shift that he’d never considered before – embarking on a journey to discover the irrefutable truth.”

More (including a 7 minute documentary video) after the jump…

Almost in order to prove that rumours of the death of genuine, good quality music retailers in this country have been greatly exaggerated, on November 6 Wellington will have a new specialist music retail store. Samurai Store will be the retail extension to the long standing Samurai Distribution and the recently established ‘Samurai Music’ record label.

Owned and operated by Geoff Wright (aka DJ Presha) with the assistance of Darryl McGown (aka D Dog from ‘Bass Frontiers’), Samurai Store will specialise in Drum and Bass, Dubstep, and Breaks vinyl, CDs, and a rage of related merchandise. The store will also be stocking other forms of electronic music and selling event tickets.

Wellington has not had a specialist store like this for many years, and with the knowledge and combined business experience going into the creation of this vinyl buyers paradise, Samurai Store will be an exciting addition to the capital city’s music retail entities.

Samurai Store [from 6 Nov 2008]
151 Willis Street [near that weird place where Turner’s Steakhouse was]
Wellington 6011
Phone: 04-3842145  Fax: 04-3843646
email: info@samuraistore.co.nz
 

Remember a few years ago when a bunch of punks dressed up as fairies chased the National Front guys around the Railway Station beating them up?  LOLarama.  Anyhow…

Anti-racism activists will be holding a rally and picnic at the Wellington Cenotaph at 10am on Saturday October 25. The rally and picnic is in opposition to plans to hold a "Flag Day" rally by the "Nationalist Alliance", a coalition comprising the National Front, New Right and National Democrats. 

More about these asshats after the jump….