The red carpet's being rolled out for New Zealand's International Film Festival.
Thirty international titles direct from Cannes Film Festival in France will be showcased across the country, alongside an array of Kiwi films.
Flicks.co.nz editor Steve Newall explains what's available - and outlined his recommendations.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudgin
from News Talk SEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Time to talk entertainment and I'm joined now by Steve Newell,
editor at Flix dot cot On and Zed were your
workmates on Friday.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
Night, I had a work at a different work commitment.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
All right, have you seen the film? Hey? I want
to talk first of all about Jason Mamore's show Chief
of War. Of course, it was mostly shot here in
New Zealand, features a lot of our own local talent.
It is a story of you know, Hawaii and the
tribes and Hawaii. I think this is absolutely fantastic. I
(00:41):
think it's this year's Showgun. I was really impressed.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
Very much the comparison. Right, this is a big budget,
big swing historical drama, and I guess then indicator of
kind of how much they've been prepared to spend on
bringing this up to a cinematic level is when the
soaring credits are playing and you realize that the music
is by Hans Zimmer, which kind of sets is amazing.
(01:04):
What I've really enjoyed about this is that it's a
kind of non mystical take on Polynesian life, so it's
it's historical like it's it's based on history, but obviously
we don't know that those conversations happened as they took
place on screen. But it's a really kind of it's
a demystified kind of Polynesia from what Hollywood has been
(01:25):
prepared to show people before. It's almost entirely in the
Hawaiian language, which was awesome, and it's almost entirely Polynesian actors,
among whom Timaa Morrison is a fantastic supporting actor in this.
He is bone chilling in his performance and it's one
it's one heck of a look that he has in
this film also, But really it's Momoa's presence that anchors
(01:48):
this and it's a show that would not have been
made without his enthusiasm and a dedication to bring it
to the screen. Plenty of action, plenty of intrigue, looks.
A million bucks can't recommend it enough on Apple TV.
Plus the first two episodes are out and new episodes
are becoming weekly from now.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
Now it's work. It was one of those groups I
just went everyone can be hugely proud of being part of.
Speaker 3 (02:10):
This absolutely and look for a little more context. It's
set in the eighteenth century. It's Jason Momo's character is
I guess, unwillingly at first, on a mission to unite
the tribes of Hawaii, just at the time that colonization
is kicking off. So it's all building towards a pretty
epic finish. I haven't made at the end of the
(02:31):
show yet, but I can't wait to see where it goes. Right.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
New Zealand International Film Festival, as we have mentioned, has
kicked off. You've seen a few if you flicks.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
Yeah, look, it's a few days in so I'm getting
pretty movie back in the stage, having a really great time.
The opening night film, It was just an accident, was
a great tone setter for the film. This was the
Palm Door winner. This is a very it turns, kind
of tense drama that's also underpinned by quite a lot
of comedy. Still a bit of a sort of a
(03:01):
caper to it, but the caper in question. I don't
really want to give too much about this movie away
to be hones, but the caper in question revolves around
a caster characters who think they've identified someone from their
past who's inflicted a lot of trauma on them, but
there's a bit of uncertainty around whether it's that's actually
the person or not. So the Interpersonal has a lot
of comedy to it, but the bigger themes of the
(03:22):
film and the tension that bubbles the way throughout a
ready gripping A really, really great start to the festival.
Pop more polarizing film called Ebony and Ivory. This utterly
absurd comedy that purports to be, while it doesn't name them,
maybe for legal reasons, purports to be the meeting of
Sir Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder in a Scottish cottage
(03:45):
in the seventies to discuss a possible upcoming collaboration. This
is going to drive some people up the wall. I
loved this movie. Utterly absurd, repetitive comedy. The fact that
the filmmaker first came to prominence with a movie called
The Greasy Strangler probably tells you all you need to
know there, and also and Timpson's involvement as a producer
on this film. Last night I had the pleasure of
(04:07):
going to the world premiere of a film called The
Weed Eaters at the Civic. This is a local it's
micro budget horror film. I had such a fantastic time.
This is about a group of Stoners who go to
a remote farm for New Years and they smoke weed
that makes them cannibals.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
Okay, that's a local flea.
Speaker 3 (04:28):
And I believe that it's a cautionary tale against cannabis.
This is what my conclusion would be from there. This
is really really fun in the New Zealand. Psyche is
so well captured in this film, both in our relationship
with Matijuana and also just with one another.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
I love it. Pavements as well. Did you get the
chance to see that?
Speaker 3 (04:49):
Yeah, this is look, it's all raves for me today,
to be honest, Pavements. This is a quasi documentary on
the nineties indie icons. Pavement a sort of band that
if you had a traditional documentary on them would is
kind of be boring, Like they already personified the kind
of slacker, surly approach to nineties interviews where I mean
interviewing Pavement in the nineties would have been like getting
blood out of a stone. I think for most people,
(05:11):
very wilfully difficult band members, particularly front man Stephen Mugwiss.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
It's like it's like you need someone like Florian habitch.
To make a film about pulp, you need to take
a different.
Speaker 3 (05:20):
Angle on totally, and here Alex Ross Perry takes a
very different angle. He weaves together fact and fiction a
really interesting way. One thread of the film, as you're
kind of traditional bio documentary biography with the following the
band as they get ready to do a bunch of
reunion shows, a whole bunch of archives, satisfies all those
requirements sort of historically. But then he's also staging a
(05:41):
stage musical about Pavement using the music of Pavement, and
he's also setting up an art gallery museum exhibit of Pavement,
and there's also a biopic being made of Pavement within
the film, and it's all very Nathan Fielder. If that's
a reference that makes sense to you, It's sort of
unclear to what extent the film is taking the mickey
(06:01):
at any point, and I think that really suits the
subject of this film.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
There we go.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
If the New Zealand International Film Festival is coming near
you over the next month or two, there's a few suggestions,
you know, write those films down. A few suggestions there
from Steve, Thank you so much, and of course don't
forget Chief of War has now begun on Apple TV
plus You. There are two episodes available for you to watch.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
For more from the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudken, listen
live to News Talks it Be from nine am Sunday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudgin
from News Talk SEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Time to talk entertainment and I'm joined now by Steve Newell,
editor at Flix dot cot On and Zed were your
workmates on Friday.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
Night, I had a work at a different work commitment.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
All right, have you seen the film? Hey? I want
to talk first of all about Jason Mamore's show Chief
of War. Of course, it was mostly shot here in
New Zealand, features a lot of our own local talent.
It is a story of you know, Hawaii and the
tribes and Hawaii. I think this is absolutely fantastic. I
(00:41):
think it's this year's Showgun. I was really impressed.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
Very much the comparison. Right, this is a big budget,
big swing historical drama, and I guess then indicator of
kind of how much they've been prepared to spend on
bringing this up to a cinematic level is when the
soaring credits are playing and you realize that the music
is by Hans Zimmer, which kind of sets is amazing.
(01:04):
What I've really enjoyed about this is that it's a
kind of non mystical take on Polynesian life, so it's
it's historical like it's it's based on history, but obviously
we don't know that those conversations happened as they took
place on screen. But it's a really kind of it's
a demystified kind of Polynesia from what Hollywood has been
(01:25):
prepared to show people before. It's almost entirely in the
Hawaiian language, which was awesome, and it's almost entirely Polynesian actors,
among whom Timaa Morrison is a fantastic supporting actor in this.
He is bone chilling in his performance and it's one
it's one heck of a look that he has in
this film also, But really it's Momoa's presence that anchors
(01:48):
this and it's a show that would not have been
made without his enthusiasm and a dedication to bring it
to the screen. Plenty of action, plenty of intrigue, looks.
A million bucks can't recommend it enough on Apple TV.
Plus the first two episodes are out and new episodes
are becoming weekly from now.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
Now it's work. It was one of those groups I
just went everyone can be hugely proud of being part of.
Speaker 3 (02:10):
This absolutely and look for a little more context. It's
set in the eighteenth century. It's Jason Momo's character is
I guess, unwillingly at first, on a mission to unite
the tribes of Hawaii, just at the time that colonization
is kicking off. So it's all building towards a pretty
epic finish. I haven't made at the end of the
(02:31):
show yet, but I can't wait to see where it goes. Right.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
New Zealand International Film Festival, as we have mentioned, has
kicked off. You've seen a few if you flicks.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
Yeah, look, it's a few days in so I'm getting
pretty movie back in the stage, having a really great time.
The opening night film, It was just an accident, was
a great tone setter for the film. This was the
Palm Door winner. This is a very it turns, kind
of tense drama that's also underpinned by quite a lot
of comedy. Still a bit of a sort of a
(03:01):
caper to it, but the caper in question. I don't
really want to give too much about this movie away
to be hones, but the caper in question revolves around
a caster characters who think they've identified someone from their
past who's inflicted a lot of trauma on them, but
there's a bit of uncertainty around whether it's that's actually
the person or not. So the Interpersonal has a lot
of comedy to it, but the bigger themes of the
(03:22):
film and the tension that bubbles the way throughout a
ready gripping A really, really great start to the festival.
Pop more polarizing film called Ebony and Ivory. This utterly
absurd comedy that purports to be, while it doesn't name them,
maybe for legal reasons, purports to be the meeting of
Sir Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder in a Scottish cottage
(03:45):
in the seventies to discuss a possible upcoming collaboration. This
is going to drive some people up the wall. I
loved this movie. Utterly absurd, repetitive comedy. The fact that
the filmmaker first came to prominence with a movie called
The Greasy Strangler probably tells you all you need to
know there, and also and Timpson's involvement as a producer
on this film. Last night I had the pleasure of
(04:07):
going to the world premiere of a film called The
Weed Eaters at the Civic. This is a local it's
micro budget horror film. I had such a fantastic time.
This is about a group of Stoners who go to
a remote farm for New Years and they smoke weed
that makes them cannibals.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
Okay, that's a local flea.
Speaker 3 (04:28):
And I believe that it's a cautionary tale against cannabis.
This is what my conclusion would be from there. This
is really really fun in the New Zealand. Psyche is
so well captured in this film, both in our relationship
with Matijuana and also just with one another.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
I love it. Pavements as well. Did you get the
chance to see that?
Speaker 3 (04:49):
Yeah, this is look, it's all raves for me today,
to be honest, Pavements. This is a quasi documentary on
the nineties indie icons. Pavement a sort of band that
if you had a traditional documentary on them would is
kind of be boring, Like they already personified the kind
of slacker, surly approach to nineties interviews where I mean
interviewing Pavement in the nineties would have been like getting
blood out of a stone. I think for most people,
(05:11):
very wilfully difficult band members, particularly front man Stephen Mugwiss.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
It's like it's like you need someone like Florian habitch.
To make a film about pulp, you need to take
a different.
Speaker 3 (05:20):
Angle on totally, and here Alex Ross Perry takes a
very different angle. He weaves together fact and fiction a
really interesting way. One thread of the film, as you're
kind of traditional bio documentary biography with the following the
band as they get ready to do a bunch of
reunion shows, a whole bunch of archives, satisfies all those
requirements sort of historically. But then he's also staging a
(05:41):
stage musical about Pavement using the music of Pavement, and
he's also setting up an art gallery museum exhibit of Pavement,
and there's also a biopic being made of Pavement within
the film, and it's all very Nathan Fielder. If that's
a reference that makes sense to you, It's sort of
unclear to what extent the film is taking the mickey
(06:01):
at any point, and I think that really suits the
subject of this film.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
There we go.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
If the New Zealand International Film Festival is coming near
you over the next month or two, there's a few suggestions,
you know, write those films down. A few suggestions there
from Steve, Thank you so much, and of course don't
forget Chief of War has now begun on Apple TV
plus You. There are two episodes available for you to watch.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
For more from the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudken, listen
live to News Talks it Be from nine am Sunday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
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