God! Where to start? EVERYTHING looks like a must see. Kudos to Mr Gosden & his team this year.
Disclaimer: My opinion is not infallible, I booked myself to see a promisingly enthralling documentary a few years ago called Hybrid... and it was literally watching corn grow... interspersed with the most boring home movie commentary... I'll try to shield you from its ilk...
Then again, I have seen some wonderful films that did not sound at all promising in the programme.
So... in no particular order... liberally quoting without acknowledgment from the programme... what I'd see if I had unlimited time & money. I give you my 100% guarantee that you will like these movies... or I will call you a dumbass.
Hidden: Big French comedy crowd pleaser. Because it's French, it's "Art" right? This will be good. ALso, it has two of the most ubiquitous, and charismatic French stars, Daniel Auteuil & Juliette Binoche.
Howl's Moving Castle: Japanese Anime maestro Miyazaki Hayao takes on Dianne Wynne Jones children's novel. Will be eye poppingly family friendly.
Rize: For fans of (and anyone curious about) Krumping... a hip-hop dance subculture.
The Child: Young man considers selling his baby on the black market. Expect harrowing thrills, heart-break & heart-warming (guessing here), and superb acting.
The Lost World: Pre-King Kong stop motion dinosaur effects based on the Arthur Conan Doyle novel. Only fragments of this have existed since shortly after it was first released (long story). But this restored version is nearly intact, as it first screened. With a live music original score from pianist Jan Preston & saxophonist Peter Boyd.
Bombon - El Perro: Heartwarming story about a curmudgeon & his dog.
Little Sky: Heartwarming & heart-breaking story about a guy... and someone else's toddler (not in a dodgy sense, if you get my drift).
Rolling Family: Heartwa... OK, I'll stop saying that. Extended family & their campervan.
The World: Beijing global-theme park & the denizens who inhabit it. ...go-getters, gangsters, social climbers and sleazeballs. But hey, that's show-business.
36,quai des Orfevres: Daniel Auteuil & Gerard Depardieu (what sort of film festival would it be without these two?) as veteran cops vying for the same promotion.
The Ax: Black comedy about an unemployed corporate type who sees a niche in eliminating (literally) his competition.
A Common Thread: Chick flick involving hand-weaving & embroidery. Expect it to be heartwa... and visually sumptuous.
The Intruder: Claire Denis latest. French Art-house at it's finest. Expect to be perplexed about what's going on (yes, this IS a recommendation!)
Kings & Queen: French... tragicomedy, couldn't make much sense of the programme notes in the quick scan I performed, but has Catherine Deneuve. So it must be good.
Look at Me: Contemporary French cinema at its best. Who am I to argue? Young opera singer tries toescape the shadow of her superstar novelist father. Probably very, very amusing.
Election: Mega-violent triad movie by the looks.
Hari Om: Light & lively Indian road movie. Looks great.
Tony Takitani: Adaptation of Haruki Murakami's short story. Apparently "stylised" isn't a strong enough word...
3-Iron: I've read about this... from the director of the beautiful Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring. A drifter breaks into houses, makes himself at home, and then repairs the appliances & generally makes things better than they were when he entered. Then he comes across an unhappy wife in one of them...
Life is a Miracle: A circus, a love-sick donkey, and a home made bear. Sounds like a John Irving novel. But it's actually mad-cap sounding antics in war torn Bosnia. Really.
The Sea Inside: This year's Best Foreign Film Oscar winner. The true story of a Spanish quadraplegic who fought the Spanish government for the right to end his life. Not nearly as gruelling as it sounds...
The Wayward Cloud: At last! The Art-house sleaze! The story of a Taipei porn star which doesn't sound very titillating.
9 Songs: More Art-house sleaze! Michael Winterbottom's controversial feature about a love affair. Controversial for the hardcore sex... but apparently it's tender, heart-warming & all in the best possible taste.
The Queen of Sheba's Pearls: UK/Swedish sweet, comic hymn to post WWII Englishness. A beautiful, mysterious foreigner (swedish) enters the lives of an English family & she's the dead ringer of their dead mother.
Yes: Sally Potter's latest. Has Joan Allen in it as a molecular scientist so it must be good.
Palindromes: More Todd Solondz weirdness about the terminally uncool in American suburbia.
Undertow: Contemporary Southern Gothic movie thriller. I can't resist them.
4: Right from the programme here "The feral and the heavy metallic vie for dominance in this extraordinary assault on the senses, the year's most transfixingly baffling movie - which among other things, purports to reveal the meaninglessness of the number 4..." No need to read any more, I'm IN! Although I quite like "a howling orgy of decrepitude and decay" also.
Phew... I'll have to start skipping a few I think...
Homegrown - Works on Film & Homegrown - Works on Video: I mean... you HAVE to don't you? Besides, these are always fascinating & entertaining.
Kekexili - Mountain Patrol: Superbly photographed ecological manhunt movie.
Look Both Ways: Very funny sounding Ocker comedy about an eternal pessimist.
Me and You and Everyone We Know: I've read (good things) about this one too - true indie feature about relationships.
My Summer of Love: And this one too. UK comedy drama about infatuation. Sports great performances from its young cast, apparently.
Whisky: The first Uruguayan sock factory movie you have probably ever seen.
Fiction Artists: One of those clever & hilarious compilations of clips from old movies, this time showing Hollywood's depiction of the tortured artist.
Banana in a Nutshell: I only heard the term "Banana" recently. And now here's a film about one.
Double dare: A documentary about Xena's stunt double, Zoe Bell. and veteran stuntwoman, Jeannie Epper.
Enron - The Smartest Guys In The Room: Yeah right.
Sedition: The suppression of dissent in NZ. Could be an eye opener.
East of Eden & Rebel Without a Cause: Ever wondered if James Dean could live up to the post-death hype? Wonder no more... check out the lesser known Nick Ray films too, they're all going to be great.
Kung Fu Hustle: "Like a gonzo fusion of Tarantino & Tex Avery" (Looney Toon maestro). Ultraviolence. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
High Tension: As the title suggests. A white knuckle ride about a girl & her chainsaw. "One film you won't want to take home to meet mum".
Inside Deep Throat: Documentary sleaze, so that's alright then!.
Overnight: Documentary morality tale about a blowhard who blew his big chance in Hollywood. You won't feel sorry for him.
And that's it! There are many more that I missed that you might quite probably like (in fact, enthusiastic word of mouth always follows several films I decide not to bother with), so do check out the programme, and/or the website.
Thursday, June 30, 2005
Wellington Film Fest: What I Recommend
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
Heat on Maori TV
STUFF : ENTERTAINMENT - STORY : National Party puts heat on Maori TV: 
Um... because that's what New Zealand on Air is for? Way to go Gerry!
I think Maori TV is great - while I'm not an avid viewer, I'd say I watch it as much as any bar the Sky movie channels I subscribe to.
They've yet to have a major international hit along the lines of say, Welsh Tv's SuperTed... and lets leave that analogy where it lies.
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
More fun with Google Maps
Google Maps - Wales
So here's where I spent the first few years of my life. I suspect not much has changed...
It's hard to make out, but I think I see the Ebbw River winding South of the town. For one year, we lived on its banks. Local legend had it that the Ebbw was the 5th most polluted river in all of Europe. Whether that's true or not, it DID change colour many times in the normal course of a day, anything from black, through the spectrum to scarlet.
Last time I was there, around 10 years ago, it was clean, and I saw anglers fishing for trout.
Monday, June 27, 2005
SunnyO from space
How cool is this?
Can't quite make out sheep or even our section, but I can see our street, the Otaki River is pretty much centre, and we're pretty much in the top right hand corner of the photo.
Google Maps
Neither can they drive...
A colleague just reported seeing a campervan full of Lions' supporters wham into a trailer carrying a load of kayaks... minimal damage.
OK, I know there was a more tragic accident over the weekend, so scorn has been kept to a minimum out of respect.
But it was 20 years ago today (thereabouts) - Hey! That might make a neat intro to a song! - that I hired a 2.5 tonne truck to help my mum shift house.
All went well until it was time to return the truck. Following the "return vehicles here" signs & arrows, I coolly cruised up outside of the rental office, completely failing to notice that the awning outside their entrance was lower than the cargo bit of the truck. With a huge clang, my suave progress was arrested & the entire cabin of the truck lifted up in the air... then klunked back down.
Fortunately, no damage either to the truck or the awning. Just a smidgeon of humilation for the driver.
Time to shape up!
Get the weight, blood pressure and cholesterol levels down. Get more exercise, eat less, and better, and (dejected, hushed whisper) drink less...
And all this in the next 2 or 3 days, because once I have read this week's Listener article on the parlous state of men's health, I know I will be at death's door...
Saturday, June 25, 2005
Friday, June 24, 2005
So... very quickly then...
The weekend predictions.
M's netball team will whip their opponents tomorrow (although, seeing as this was meningococcal vaccination week, and half the school's been off sick as a consequence, and the ones who did turn up have lost the use of their left arms, the margin may rely on the opponents' team having had their shots this week too...).
But anyway, this team sports particularly venal parents (and you thought I was bad), who apparently only lose because of poor time keeping, poor umpiring, poor etc... it'd be very satisying to CRUSH THEM!
In a sporting sort of way, of course.
Then we're of up to SunnyO, along with some guests this week, one of the girl's from M's team who is in the year 7 rep team, and another family, old friends of T's who have a daughter in M's team. And with any luck, that family's 7 month old labrador puppy, to keep Wilma amused.
We will feast, imbibe, and watch Graeme & Tana's men CRUSH THE ENGLISH!!
In a sporting sort of way, of course.
Then, while all else go to cosmopolitan Levin for the tournament, I will stay, keep the dogs amused, hang my gate, and possibly, just possibly, pen & crutch the sheep.
And that should occupy me nicely for the duration.
Have a good one all!
Lookin' good...
Since my eyes were plasticised, I think I may have mentioned somewhere here that I no longer require glasses for driving, or walking around. However, anything within about 2 metres of me is decidedly fuzzy (I'm told this is because my plastic eyes do not adjust & focus like regular protein eyes do. But then again, it was an unqualified colleague who told me that, so it could be bullshit).
But my opthalmologist told me that now both eyes are pretty much identical I am quite free to indulge in those cheap reading glasses that for so long I thought were utter crap & probably detrimental to your eyesight...
So I went to the $2 shop & bought 5 pairs... one pair to keep at work, one pair for home, one pair for SunnyO, one pair to keep in my bag, and one pair spare...
And since then I have endured endless whinging that these are not "facial furniture", not "Look-at-me glasses" (important apparently), and not "to be seen in public with me".
However, loathe to go spend hundreds of dollars at the opticians, I have resisted.
Until today.
They have yet to be given the wifely seal of approval, but to prove I am no cheapskate, I went & bought 2 pairs, on special at Farmers, for $11.95 a pair, or $19.95 for two.
Such extravagance.
Reminds me of one of my favourite TV quotes.
STUFF : ENTERTAINMENT - STORY : "Corgan to reform Smashing Pumpkins"
Homer meets the Smashing Pumpkins:
Corgan: "Bill Corgan, Smashing Pumpkins."
Homer: "Homer Simpson, smiling politely."
Take Your Medicine.
She was pleased to get rid of him. He always came in a good hour too early for his appointment & sat there with a creepy grin, his eyes fixed upon her breasts. Now and then he would lick his lips. Not her type at all. She had better things & people to do.
The Preacherman picked up his bible and entered the doctor's office. Dr Pico motioned him to lie back on the couch.
"Preacherman" said the doctor, "How have you been?"
"Oh, you know" said the man "I have my ups & downs."
"Still preaching the lord's word?"
"Avidly. Devotedly"
"How is Wellington these days? I haven't been home for a while."
"Lambton Quay was rocking when I left, I've been in Bali for a wee while. On some business."
"The lord's business?"
"Everything is the lord's business."
"How about the flashbacks? Still troubling you?"
"Now and then... I wake up thinking I'm up to my ears in mud, under fire.. although I quite enjoy them... good memories.. the drugs, the girls... the ordinance, the GUNS!"
"Calm down, calm down..." Dr Pico was pensive for a moment... "well.... you seem to be doing OK for now... no worse anyway... so let's talk about medication for a moment."
"Ah!" The preacher brightened noticably, and opening his bible, produced a snaplock bag containing a large number of brightly coloured pills, from the hollow cavity within... "I think these are what you're after Dr Pico."
After the preacher had gone, Pico sat there for a while, thoughtfully playing with the bag. Finally, he pocketed the pills, reached over to the intercom, pressed the button and instructed his nurse, "Chantal, cancel the rest of my appointments for the day & join me in the hot tub. The lord has been good to us today..."
Classic movie alert!
Scored Chinatown from Sounds CD store yesterday for $20. Watched loads of it last night while the girls were at Tennis Club. It's still got it...
Chinatown (1974)
M, who is a minor fan of the chick flick Something's Gotta Give, was fascinated (mildly) to see what a young Jack Nicholson looked like (she picked his voice though).
And BONUS! T has never seen it! So I will get the chance to dust it off again soon & watch it all the way through.
Thursday, June 23, 2005
Llew details pages Llew
Not quite sure what this is... but I make an appearance...
Llew details pages Llew: "SunnyO"
heh heh... "Lion!"
Can Blumsky dance?
Sweet Jesus, I can't stop myself now...
Best thing a beleaguered political party (there are a couple to choose from) could do now is get Norm on their list, or into a candidacy for a marginal electorate.
And furthermore!
(Hey, I need to bump an earlier post way down the list before my mum logs on & reads it...)
But I predict that Face to Face with Kim Hill got record audience figures last night (Chromium, please feel free to confirm or deny this), because the average viewer, watching agog at Kate's ensemble (and possibly thinking "Where can I get an outfit like that? - honestly, if she'd had a cap, she'd've been a dead ringer for the guy from AC/DC), saw the promo & thought "Norm!"
How much?
Since I won't comment on politics, consider this a comment on voters...
I've been reading a couple of blogs with differing ideas on the question of tax cuts. Since I passed up my chance to have my say on national TV, I may as well have it here.
How much?
I reckon the average voter... no wait, that's too small a subset... the average citizen of a legal age to vote then, doesn't care how, or if a government will or can pay for tax cuts. I have too low an opinion of the population at large. You wait, the two left at the end of How Normal Are You? next week (and who the hell is dressing Kate Hawkesby by the way? Is this how women look in Auckland these days?) will be morons. The sort of argument that's raging in certain circles will be entirely lost on them.
So a quick unscientific poll to see if I'm right:
A political party announces unspecified tax cuts if elected, and that they will be paid for by mincing new born babies & selling them as pet food.
The average punter asks: How much?
True/False?
What sunscreen?
Che has a point here... read it for yourself & figure it out though.
Public Address | Club Politique - The Sunscreen Rant
But one example he forgot to mention about banning immigrants, is the danger we'll go back to the barbarian days of white folk owning & running corner dairies in our towns & suburbs.
This must not be allowed to happen.
Reminds me of several years ago, when a very old friend of mine (who had "scored" big time) & I took a day off work, assembled at his place, smoked a truckload of... stuff... and took another truckload of a well known hallucinogenic.
Then we treated ourselves to a day long buffet of deli food we'd both brought for the momentous occassion & watched video tapes of UK's Channel 4 programming that someone had sent him.
At some stage in the day, two middle aged, completely wasted reprobates went for a walk around the neighbourhood. We stood in a public park in Khandallah & gazed over a fogged in Wellington Harbour above which the top of Soames Island poked up uncannily (mind you, a lot of things looked uncanny that day).
Then we agreed that what we needed was MARS bars. So we trooped off up the hill, admiring the local architecture, until we came to the local dairy.
Which most uncannily of all was run by a white, elderly couple. And people, I am not exaggerating when I say that this particular dairy was pretty much devoid of goods. The shelves were empty. The choice was limited. We settled for Moro bars & griped all the way home, then spent the rest of the day finishing off his stash.
And in case anyone is wondering, those famous hallucinogenics are not what they are cracked up to be. At no stage did I think I was Superman, nor even that I could fly, I did not see paisley everywhere (aside from my mate's dubious shirt), and pretty much the only thing that happened was that I was unable to sleep for 3 days. However, the ceiling in my darkened bedroom did manage to hold my attention for long periods...
BTW: This was a long time ago, nobody can prove it happened & anyway, I make all this stuff up.
Also.. am I missing something or was sunscreen not even mentioned in Che's post?
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Free stuff
Mention of a camera phone reminds me...
If any corporate out there wants to send me free stuff, I'll be happy to enthusiastically endorse it!
What an offer eh? Just call me Free Stuff ho'
Seeking technical advice again...
I've decided what I really need is one of those cellphones with a built in camera.
Doesn't have to be flash (or even have a flash), in fact the cheaper the better! Just needs to be able to text & make calls, and take photos. And be able to email those photos...
A zoom function would be nice though.
Any suggestions?
