Cinephilia: Opening This Week

Paris je t'aime posterIt’s as if the gurus in Hollywood know that here in Wellington the Film Festival approaches and they’re trying to get the popcorn material out of the way before it is overpowered by more cerebral delights. Actually, that can’t be true, pretty much every week is like this…

The latest in the seemingly endless series of Will Ferrell sports movies in which our the star improvs himself a feature film while playing an emotionally stunted man-child is Blades of Glory and the sport this time is – Ice Skating! Figure Skating to be exact. Ferrell is joined by Napoleon Dynamite‘s Jon Heder as the two pair up to be the first all-male Olympic Ice Dancing champions (Readings and Sky City Queensgate).

After the jump: Fantastic Four: The Rise of the Silver Surfer, Paris je t’aime, Eden and Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

Soup’s up!

Apparently it is National Soup Week, and since we of course believe everything that marketing people tell us, we’d like to know where the best soup in Wellington can be found. Is it served in bread at Kapai? Whatever it is at The’Ho that Gemma from Texture obsesses over? Something from the ever-expanding Wishbone? Or is there really no better soup than Continental Cream’o Vegetable cup’o soup served in a mug under a duvet on a couch to fight off a hangover?

Glancing at the Stars

If this were the Aucklandista site, this’d surely be about Millie. But it’s not. Besides, we’d never heard of her until yesterday. Millie Elder? Millie Holmes?

Anyway… that’s just alluding to celebrity gossip to lure you in. And to trap the googlers… yoohoo!!

Here in the Capital city, when we talk about stars we talk about the really big ones! Real stars.

Matariki

Matariki.

In May or June each year, just before dawn (yeah right!) look toward the North Eastern horizon & you should see the Matariki constellation. The Greeks called it Pleiades (although they view it upside down to us) or the Seven Sisters, the Japanese called it… Subaru!

To Maori, it marks the New Year, and is associated with the Winter Solstice. The name itself literally refers to the Eyes of God.

This month till the 1st of July, Te Papa are hosting a Matariki Festival, click through for further details.

Further information on Matariki itself, can be found here, here & here.

Exhibition: Cameo Appearance

The exhibition Cameo Appearance at Mary Newton Gallery brings together eight artists working in the area of the portrait – Tony Bond, Gavin Hurley, Anna-Marie O’Brien, Gary Freemantle, Tanja Nola, Octavia Cook, Areta Wilkinson and David Cauchi.

And then my magical art powers failed me, 2007 by David Cauchi

And then my magical art powers failed me, 2007 by David Cauchi

Lollingtonista

If you’re a stranger to the whole Lolcats phenomenon, then … lucky you. Please take a while to think about whether you want to initiate yourself into a world that’s as pointless, yet as addictive, as P. Then read up on Lolcats, Lolrus, LOL Presidents and the self-referential geek overload that is Lolcode. Now you are ready for Lollington.

Bucketz

More after the jump.

Film Festival Sneak Peak

Some of you will be like me and saving your pennies up for the 36th Wellington Film Festival. It hits town on July 20th and runs till August 4th.

If the early line up announcement of some globally anticipated films is anything to go by it’s going to be yet another great see festival.

My top 3 picks are:

Perfume

Ghetto Red Hot

Man, I don’t know how many times i’ve promised the NiceUp Crew that I’ll get along to one of their gigs…

It’s just that I’m getting real long in the tooth, even though I’m a huuuge fan of dancehall reggae and ska.

But don’t let me being old stop you from having a grand old time!

Get yourself along to Ghetto Red Hot on June 23.

And then write and tell us old geezers how excellent it was.

Cinephilia: Opening This Week

UPDATE: How Much Do You Love Me? is also playing at the Lighthouse in Petone.

Ocean's 13 posterThis week’s blockbuster is the third installment in the Pitt/ Clooney/ Damon/ Soderbergh smug-fest, Ocean’s 13. This time the 11 from the first picture are joined by Ellen Barkin and Mr Hoo-Haa himself, Al Pacino. Diminishing returns? You be the judge at Readings, Sky City Queensgate, Penthouse or Empire Island Bay.

More down-to-earth is the messed-up Aussie no-budget romance Puppy (Paramount), described as a “weird and wonderful journey”. Another messed-up romance starts Thursday at the Paramount: How Much Do You Love Me? stars Monica Belluci as a prostitute who gets paid 100,00 euros a month to live with a lottery winner – until the money runs out. Also starring Gérard Depardieu.

Bridge to Terabithia, Pierrepoint, Scenes of a Sexual Nature and Off the Grid – after the jump.

Pruning With The Stars! Sunday 17 June

Norm Hewitt?This weekend sees the Annual Rose Pruning Demonstration at the Lady Norwood Rose Garden in the Botanic Gardens.

Want to bone up on proper garden maintenance? This is your chance! The Wellington City Council has laid on the roses, and the experts. There will be tips on both pruning AND growing your roses. Dancing with the Stars contestants may or may not be there. The same goes for the surviving Beatles & Nastassja Kinski, but I remain hopeful.

I usually make wise with the Rose puns at this point, but she emailed this year & asked me to kindly stop.

There are two sessions:

1.30 – 2.30pm: pruning modern roses in the Lady Norwood Rose Garden. Meet at the Begonia House.

2.30 – 3.30pm: pruning rambling and heritage roses at the Bolton Street Memorial Park. Meet at the Seddon Memorial.

Grab your blades & go to it!

Addendum – Glow Worms:

While I’m on the subject of the Gardens, I happened upon an official person taking a bunch of schoolkids on a glow worm tour last week & feel I should pass on the intelligence I gleaned on my way past them. The poor lady was stretched thin by 10 or so bored & restless boys. It didn’t help that there were no worms glowing at all.

I’d wondered for a while, from personal experience, but as the lady snapped at the boys she confirmed my theory that glow worms put on their best display after rain or a heavy dew (I do not know why this is).

So should you be planning a visit, do so soon after rain & while the worms can be found in most places in the Gardens, the easiest to find & arguably best are on the main track between Glen Road & the Duckpond.

Entertainment Book review: Medina

MedinaOnce again, I had left my book at home somewhere, so it was another gold card restaurant that was needed. Since my other sister decided to gatecrash our party, a total discount venue, rather than a two-for-one mains was desireable. And because it was cold and I was lazy and didn’t feel like walking anywhere, somewhere on the bus route home was needed – preferably somewhere that I could get a big plate of heartiness at. Medina was decided upon, as it seems to have beaten the curse that made other restaurants in its location at 18 Cambridge Terrace close down very rapidly. The review is after the jump.