Cinephilia: Opening This Week

Elizabeth posterI was really hoping they were going to to call the Elizabeth sequel Elizabeth II but instead it is Elizabeth: The Golden Age. Co-artistic-director-designate of the Sydney Theatre Company and Elf Queen, Cate Blanchett returns to play Elizabeth. She’s still fighting catholics but this time they are amassed off the coast in an Armada. Clive Owen plays Errol Flynn as Walter Raleigh. Penthouse, Readings, Lighthouse Petone, Rialto, Sky City Queensgate, Embassy

Christmas is here and the first “holiday” movie off the rank is Fred Claus at Readings, Regent-on-Manners and Sky City Queensgate. Paul Giamatti is Santa and Vince Vaughan plays his layabout little brother Fred (a bit like Billy Carter or Roger Clinton).

Older readers will remember the days when Kevin Costner was the biggest star in the Hollywood firmament. Despite some career mis-steps he remains a watchable performer and this week he flicks the serial killer switch in Mr Brooks at Readings, Regent-on-Manners, Sky City Queensgate. The twist is that William Hurt plays his alter-ego, a bit like Jekyll and Hyde.

Finally, a potential arthouse treat at the Paramount. Golden Door follows turn of the century immigrants from Sicily to Ellis Island and stars Charlotte Gainsbourg. It won six awards at the 2006 Venice Film Festival including the Silver Lion.

All these films will be reviewed at Funerals & Snakes next Wednesday (and in print in the Capital Times on the same day) .

2AWA: Best Suburban Venue

It probably wouldn’t be an unfair call to say that the Wellingtonista focuses most of its attentions on the inner city, despite the fact that some of us live out in the wilds, like Hataitai, Karori and Petone. But that doesn’t mean we’re not aware that there are many awesome things going on outside of Te Aro, and so this category is all about paying tribute to them.

Good things happen in the suburbs too, honest – like this place:

Places after the jump…

2AWA: Best 2007 Wellington-based Event

There’s always something going on in Wellington, and we try our very best to keep you informed. Being only human, there are plenty of things that we miss, but there’s no way in Hell we would have missed any of the things below:
The event that made me get off my arse the most:

Events after the jump…

2AWA: Most Needed

Here are the nominees for the Most Needed category for the 2nd Annual Wellingtonista Awards (2AWA)

Wellington most needs:

Wellington’s pretty close to perfection, but there are a few things that we need. More smart people to participate in local elections so we don’t end up with Kerry again. A living wage for the Wellingtonistas. More celebrities, apparently. And also these things:

(nominees after the jump)

2AWA: Best Building

We have the serious hots for some of the architects architecture around town. Buildings that not only function as they were intended but also make the streets a more exciting and pleasant place to be make us happy people.

Put on the Barry White because if this building was a person, I would be making sweet sweet luuurve to it right now:

After the jump, we present the buildings…

2AWA: Best Dub Dub Dubber

Here are the nominees for the Best Dub Dub Dubber category for the 2nd Annual Wellingtonista Awards (2AWA).

Web-Writing-Wellingtonians:

We love Wellington. And we love the Interwebs. So what could we love more than someone writing from Wellington on the Interweb? Exactly. Our nominees are a diverse bunch to reflect the tremendous amount of talent that goes on in our city, and to represent all kinds of different things..

(nominees after the jump)

2AWA: Best Coffee Beans

Here are the nominees for the Best Local Coffee Beans category for the 2nd Annual Wellingtonista Awards (2AWA)

Hook it straight into my vein:

The Women’s Petition Against Coffee, in 1674, declared:

Only a Pimp to the Tavern, a relishing soop preparative to a fresh debauch: For when people have swill’d themelves with a morning draught of more Ale than brewers horse can carry, hither they come for a pennyworth of Settle-brain . . . and after an hours impertinent Chat, begin to consider a bottle of Claret would do excellent well before Dinner; whereupon to the Bush they all march together, till every one of them is Drunk as a Drum, and then back again to the Coffee-House to drink themselves sober.

We, on the other hand, don’t say anything at all until we’ve had our daily fix. It’s Wellington, it’s coffee that pumps through our hearts and our minds thicker than blood.

(nominees after the jump)

2AWA: Best Public Art

Here are the nominees for the Best Public Art category for the 2nd Annual Wellingtonista Awards (2AWA).

What is that?:

Art is what separates Man from Beast (apart from those monkeys with typewriters who came up with the screenplay for Melody Rules, of course). Therefore it’s only fitting that we recognise the public art around the city that makes Wellington the colourful, vibrant place that it is. Of course, it’s a subjective area, but these are the pieces that really make us do double-takes as we move around.

(nominees after the jump)

2AWA: Best Shop nominations

Here are the nominees for the Best Shop category for the 2nd Annual Wellingtonista Awards (2AWA).

Goodbye pay-packet, hello merchandise:

Sometimes we like to pretend to be filthy hippies, and care about things like globalisation, and consumerism, debt and excessive consumption. But then we see all the shiny things for sale in these shops, and all those thoughts go right out the window as we rush towards the pretties with our arms wide open.

(nominees after the jump)

2AWA: Best Late-Night Venue nominations

Here are the nominees for the Best Late-Night Venue category for the 2nd Annual Wellingtonista Awards (2AWA).

When even Winston Peters has gone to bed, the best bar to go to is:

Sure, town is banging and humming around midnight. But what if the bar you’re in starts closing and you’re not ready to go home yet? Where do you head to then?

(nominees after the jump)