I understand that New Zealand is proportionally the biggest market in the world for dance movies – the Step Ups, Stomping the Yards, dance battle films are huge here – so I wonder whether that will hold true for a psychological drama set in the world of classical ballet. Black Swan is Darren Aronofsky’s follow-up […]
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 […]
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 […]
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.
Freakin’ school holidays. 9 – count ’em – new films are opening this week and most of them are designed to keep restless young people out of the hair of their elders and betters. Time is short so I’m just going to list them here:
Still, they are returning from the Festival: Moon by Bowie’s boy Duncan Jones is a Paramount exclusive which should do quite nicely for them as they prepare for new ownership (discuss rumours you might have heard in the comments). After three years alone mining the moon Sam Rockwell might be going slightly nuts and imagining that he’s got company. Or is he?
The Penthouse and the Lighthouse both share Stephen Frears’ Chéri and the documentary that launched the Festival back in June, The September Issue. Chéri is based on two novels by Colette and is a cherished project by acclaimed screenwriter Christopher Hampton (Dangerous Liaisons, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly).
[The rest of this week’s new releases after the jump]
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I think the highlight of the Wellingtonista cinema-going week is likely to be a toss-up between the wonderful Vanguard retrospective at the Film Archive or the restored print of Casablanca. The Paramount has been bringing back the venerable old favourite regularly for the last 20 years (always with newer prints it should be said) and it’s still a big draw. Do you need to know the plot? Read Tom G’s summary here at Ornery World. Two shows a day until Sunday.
Fresher fare is on offer elsewhere but nothing is likely to be as satisfying. Atonement director Joe Wright returns to the screen with a modern day drama (and more Oscar-bait), The Soloist. Jamie Foxx plays a gifted cellist, blighted with mental illness and Robert Downey Jr is the hack who befriends him. Readings, Empire, Penthouse.
[The rest of this week’s new releases after the jump]