Win a new phone! Go mobile in Wellington thanks to Vodafone

As a website for people who are constantly on the go around Wellington, we recently got contacted by Vodafone who wanted us to know that they’re changing the way their mobile internet works.

Vodafone is making it even easier for people to connect to the internet – wherever they are – with the launch of revamped mobile data pricing and a smart backend that reformats webpages for easy viewing on a mobile screen.

Now, for up to just $1 a day on the days you use it, casual users of the mobile internet can browse the world wide web easily and inexpensively… without committing to a fixed monthly data contract.

The new $1 a day casual rate gives customers up to 10MB of data.

And how do we know this is actually true? Because we’ve got a new Nokia 6121. And even more excitingly, we’ve got one to give away, so you can have a chance to find out for yourself too. Find out how after the jump.

If you like movies, quizzes and the Paramount, boy do we have a deal for you!

Are you still in withdrawl from the Film Festival? Are you trying to come up with any reason to head back to the theatre, even if it’s just for the ice cream?

Guess what? From this Thursday onwards, the Paramount Theatre is starting a weekly movie quiz “A quiz in 60 minutes” at 9pm in the Paramount Bar.

Movie fans will be invited to take part in this unique and free quiz night to compete for a chance to win a fortnight’s free movies for two people and a number of other spot prizes.

“There are a lot of very knowledgeable movie fans out there; we are really looking forward to offering something a bit different. I don’t think any other cinema has done this before in Wellington” say Kate Larkindale, Manager of the Paramount.

“After the success of the film festival this year, we are excited about this quiz night. People will be able to see a movie at after work and then have a drink and stretch their brains for an hour”.

The quiz night will be only 60 minutes long, covering all areas of film, and all decades. Movie quotes, Oscar winners, theme tunes, Movie taglines, actors, directors – it’s all in there!

Check out the Paramount website for more information.

As promised

Here’s some info about This is Experimental – also kicking off tomorrow eve…..

A festival of experimental film and film makers (talk about niche-y) If you know someone who’s into avant-garde film, please do let them know.

Highlights include a screening and workshop by Guy Sherwin, one of the pre-eminent British film artists of the last 40 years; Free Radical: The films of Len Lye, a programme which screened to overwhelmed audiences in the USA last year; and a collection of 1980s Super 8 Movies from Canada, NZ and USA presented by film maker Martin Rumsby.

Image: Len Lye, Stills Collection; New Zealand Film Archive

Plus The Michael Nicholson Studio Visual Music Project Stage 3: Ops 1–4 video installation – see below….

Video synthesizer

Opening this Thursday at the Film Archive at 5:30pm, an exhibition by 92-year old Wellington painter, sculptor, artist Michael Nicholson.

If that’s not impressive enough this work, The Michael Nicholson Visual Music Project: Stage 3. Op.s 1-4, was originally created on a “Scanimate” machine in Australia in the 1980s; the same machine that early Star Wars, Sesame St and The Electric Company animations were made on. Nicholson worked with the Film Archive to restore the original U-matic tapes and edited them together as ‘Visual Music’ with the assistance of editor Diane McAllen.

Michael Nicholson first came to New Zealand in the 1950s to work at the Elam School of Fine Art. His latest work is inspired by the abstract expressionist paintings of Wassily Kandinsky. It’s hypnotic, fascinatingly beautiful and on display for the next month in the Pelorus Trust mediagallery.

This event launches an Experimental Film Festival too but more about that soon!

Still images: Screen grabs from The Michael Nicholson Visual Music Project: Stage 3. Op.s 1-4

Have a Caeli – that’s Ball to you!

Cystic Fibrosis is a cause close to the hearts of some of the Wellingtonista, so we’re really happy to promote the Winter Caeli (Scottish Ball) at the Intercontinental on August 23.

This fundraising ball will be an event like nothing ever seen before in Wellington – find out how things are done the Scottish way and help raise money in style

Tickets are $90, and for that you get:

• Welcome bubbles
• Three course meal
• Wine with dinner
• Live music
• Scottish dancing
• Fundraising auction and raffle

For more information or to buy tickets, contact 0800 651122 or CFwinterball@gmail.com

Nothing fishy going on in this post

For those of us who like public transport but really could give less than a flying fish about a certain S word, here are some tidbits to round out your weekend:

• Perhaps we won’t always have Paris – a notice of “reentry” has been sighted in its window.
• The ‘Ho won ‘Best Bar in New Zealand’ for like, the millionth time. Go them!
• In happy bus news, Go Wellington has finally cottoned on to the fact that many uni students live in Hataitai and Brooklyn, so they’re doing a trial extension of the #5 and #7 routes up to Kelburn. This is also good news for people who work on the Terrace but are too lazy to take a lift up to there from Lambton Quay, but not that great if you’re looking for more information about it on the Metlink site.
• The Women’s Lifestyle Expo: apparently all women need to lose weight, have bad credit and like to eat chocolate. Well duh, say the Pretty Pretty Pretty girls, who happen to have an awesome Skinfood prize pack to give away that this Fly is coveting.
• An ad on Radio Active promises two cocktails and some tapas for $15 on Wednesdays at Vintage Bar, but their out-of-date website can’t confirm this.
• In other gossip, apparently the crowds of Bridge and Tunnelers who want to go to Temperance Bar are causing some hassles for other venues on the street, with masses queuing outside. There was mention that police in riot gear have been called in, but our source, while generally very reliable, was almost as drunk as this Fly, so take it with a grain of salt.
• Looking for a central city location for cottaging? The Council is looking to redevelop Coblestone Park on Vivian Street.
The Masked Barfly
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Dancehall Cinema

For those of you more inclined towards UK roots reggae culture than euro-beats, there’s a little something for you at the Film Archive this Thursday 7th.

The Archive, in collaboration with NiceUp – local reggae forum and dancehall specialists – present the premiere Australasian screening of Musically Mad, a doco that examines sound system culture and the UK roots reggae scene, interviewing some of the shining lights of the community, past and present, and providing an historical context for the Caribbean-influenced musical culture. The film is brand spanking new and Nice Up are keen to show it off to the local scene, so much so that they (and their sponsors) invite you to come down early, at 6pm, to the Archive – on the corner of Ghuznee and Taranaki Sts – for food, drink and socialising prior to the movie screening at 7pm. Read more here.

Tickets are on sale now from the NZ Film Archive for $8/$6 concession, as well as available on the night.

La Musique Automatique – avec une Tigre!

If you like your music multi-lingual then boy are you in for a treat or, indeed, un petit plaisir next week when Berlin-based duo Stereo Total hit town on Saturday 16th. I fell in love with the kooky electro-garage rock-à-billy popstars a few years ago when I discovered an album of theirs that sounded like the B52s mixed with Peaches with a couple of Sugarcubes stirred in. Their “homemade” ironic pop combines French chanson with German electronika, with a euro-linguistic twist, so that on one album you get a song that croons “j’aime l’amour à trois” then a few songs later the same track pops up declaring “I love love with the three of us”! You can listen to some of their new songs on their Myspace page and buy tickets for $30+bf at Slowboat (Cuba St) for next week’s gig at the San Fran Bathhouse.

AND they’re bringing JD Sampson, one-third of feminist nu-york-punk-icons Le Tigre with them, fresh from her MEN DJ/remix project and a visit to NZ for the Big Day Out ’08 with Peaches and Herm.

ALLONS-Y!

Drawing Parallels

On 6th August a group drawing show is opening at ROAR! Gallery.

The show features work from artist in residence Yelena Barbalich, as well as 75 other artists.

(full list after the jump)…