Reviews

Words Mike Beck

“A technical tour de force; for art lovers and lovers alike, Portrait Of A Lady On Fire is a cinematic masterpiece.”

A sure fire hit at this year’s Cannes & NZ Film Festivals, French writer/director Celine Sciamma (Tomby, Water Lilies) paints a delicate but fiery tale of love and art in a delightful foreign period piece.

Set in Brittany in 1770, Marianne (Noemie Merlant) is a promising young artist, commissioned by a countess (Valeria Golino) to paint a portrait of her soon to be wed daughter Heloise (Adele Haenel). The hitch being that due to failed attempts to achieve this in the past, Marianne must go incognito and paint her subject in secrecy without her knowing her motive.

As the title suggests, their is some spark in this story. Just as much as the friction of interweaving relationships drives Portrait Of A Lady On Fire, themes are explored visually at a high technical & visual level. Natural light is applied seemingly throughout, creating great contrast (think Kubrick or Barry Lyndon), also, the consistent presence of candles & flames visually convey the inner emotions, desires & conflicts of its principle characters.

Portrait Of A Lady On Fire is very much a film that highlights art by using various techniques found in the art world as a narrative. Employing the dimensions of the screen as a frame, objectifying its subjects, framing within a frame, the camera depicting the mise-en-scene/characters inhabiting a shot as a painting itself are some. Keep an eye out for more. Also, the premise of a painter having to work in secrecy is a cinematic device that Sciamma incorporates to utilise ‘the gaze’. She does this with flying colours, while Merlant & Haenel have the chops to act out accordingly.

Overall, Portrait Of A Lady On Fire is so well told visually, that you could forego the subtitles (unless you understand French & Italian) and still follow/understand the story. On top of this, the exploration of sexuality, politics, feminism & the limitations/expectations of societal constructs really give this film extra depth. A technical tour de force; for art lovers and lovers alike, Portrait Of A Lady On Fire is a cinematic masterpiece.

Words Mike Beck

“Those into spiritual warfare are going to delve deep into the tapestry of Doctor Sleep’s essence..”

Taking on the task of creating a sequel to a cinematic classic is a tough gig. From the pen of psychological horror mastermind Stephen King, Doctor Sleep is the long awaited follow up to 1980’s The Shining, one of Stanley Kubrick’s ace achievements, it’s a considered masterpiece of its genre. Almost 40 years in between drinks (yes addictions are a narrative theme in these ones too), Doctor Sleep slots into the top ten of longest time-periods between sequels. It’s lengthy arrival due to King writing this follow up in almost as many years after the original, also, the huge success of King’s cinematic version of ‘IT’ in 2017 opening the door financially for Doctor Sleep to see the light of day.

Picking up where things left off/bridging the time lapse and recap for its audience, young Danny Torrance not only carries big trauma from experiencing his father Jack’s decent to insanity, he’s also tapping into the afterlife through his psychic gift known in these stories as ‘shining’. Fast forward to his adult life (ably played by Ewen McGregor), and as Danny’s challenges of past demons & the supernatural world he inhabits begin to burden him, the cycle of addiction rises. Not only that, there are other dark forces to contend with out in the big wide world.

Doctor Sleep takes a little while to shift gears, but when it does you’re strapped in for a wicked ride. Go into this one with expectations to match Kubrick‘ benchmark, chances are you’ll be disappointed. For starters the tone, pacing, & look is completely different, which is an intentional move by director Mike Flanagan. The digital age and evolution of film technology is to be considered also, allowing the potential for some elaborate visual storytelling. You might have a niggle with the portrayal of central characters from the first film appearing here by look-alike actors, snippets of pivotal scenes being re-enacted rather than re-cycled.

“Doctor Sleep takes a little while to shift gears, but when it does you’re strapped in for a wicked ride.”

Flanagan worked closely in collaboration with writer King on Dr Sleep, bringing back some of the themes that Kubrick omitted in his screenplay for The Shining. King himself cites the character of Jack Torrance (played by Jack Nicholson) as his most autobiographical character, identifying himself with the potential harms of alcohol. & you’ll love who comes in to help out here, with Cliff Curtis again showing he can tackle any sort of role put to him. The casting overall is strong, with Rebecca Ferguson as head antagonist Rose The Hat turning in a colourful performance.

Doctor Sleep has many twists and turns, and the investment that King puts into his character development means that you’re gonna feel the wins, and equally so, the losses/casualties. With its strong theme of good versus evil, those into spiritual warfare are going to delve deep into the tapestry of Doctor Sleep’s essence. Following up the two indifferent ‘IT‘ films, Dr Sleep switches on a light in the dark.

Words Melanie Tito

“From a viewer’s perspective it is a relief to watch a movie which allows us breathing space, without rushing to fill every minute with rapid dialogue or drama.”

Like a hot, strong cup of tea on a stormy day, Bellbird brings joy and warmth alongside the harsh realities of grief and struggle.

Set in a small rural community in Northland, the iconic New Zealand landscape of a working farm provides both rustic charm and an apt metaphor for the nature of life: beautiful, mundane, chaotic, painful.

Early on in the film we are introduced to Beth (Annie Whittle), wife to Ross (Marshall Napier) and mum to Bruce (Cohen Holloway). Beth is the heart and glue of her family, a community spirit, a lady who loves to sing. When she dies, the music stops. Ross and Bruce are more lost for words than ever, following a lifetime habit of leaving most things left unsaid. The rigorous demands of the family farm give them no time for respite and as one season slips into another, they continue their hard labour and awkward communion while shouldering their grief privately.

Though grief is a central theme in Bellbird, the film is not short of opportunities to smile and laugh, with the carefree humorous spirit of Marley (Kahukura Retimana), the deadpan comedy of Bruce’s boss, Connie (Rachel House) and the earnest comic of Clem (Stephen Tamarapa). The daily grind is made a whole lot easier with cheeky banter, spontaneous thoughts and finding humour in the most abstract details and it is good to remember this while watching Bellbird.

I like many things about this film. From a viewer’s perspective it is a relief to watch a movie which allows us breathing space, without rushing to fill every minute with rapid dialogue or drama. Slowing down to allow swells of silence, shadows across faces, captures of still life, bring a harmony and balance to the film so that we are able to digest both the bitter and the sweet in a pleasurable way.

The spotlight is on Napier and Holloway as the film shines a spotlight on the dad/son relationship, and both play their characters exceedingly well, speaking not just with their lips but with their silences and, indeed, with their entire bodies. We see the relatable layers of vulnerability and tenderness beneath their stoic exteriors and in so doing, remember that there is nothing more ordinary, complex and wonderful than the human heart.

A brilliant debut feature by writer-director Hamish Bennett, celebrating love and loyalty, in an age where we need to be reminded more often of the gifts of community. I look forward to seeing what Bennett creates next.

Words Wal Reid

“But what I didn’t realise was, that it wasn’t some of them, it wasn’t most of them, it’s ALL of them. None of them at a certain level pay tax.”

New Zealand documentary/filmmaker Justin Pemberton is charming on the phone. His latest film, Capital in the 21st Century, is a retrospective commentary on economist Thomas Piketty’s best-selling book of the same name. Its account of how concentrated wealth shapes the world was so compelling, that it went on to sell 1.5 million copies and was an unlikely bestseller in 2014. The movie explores the long-run effects of wealth inequality, and, is about to go global after the films’ recent screening at the New Zealand Film Festival.

Brought to the big screen by Pemberton, Piketty’s thesis is crisply and engagingly presented in a documentary purposefully light on graphs and numbers, and heavy on top-notch talking heads (Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz, the Financial Times’ Gillian Tett, who he says, “was one the few people who picked the last global financial crisis”), visuals of the rich and famous, and stylised historical recreations.

Wal Reid caught up with the dynamic documentary filmmaker. His movies Richie McCaw: Chasing Great, about the All Black legend, or intelligence sharing I Spy (with My 5 Eyes), has given the Documentary genre credibility and relevance from this part of the world. He has scooped numerous awards, both here and overseas, even an Emmy nomination for his unrelenting work in the industry. Also, interesting to note, is his unique auteur/musician relationship with musician Anika Moa, who, has also composed the soundtracks for five of Pemberton’s films.

How’s the PR tour going for the film?

It’s only New Zealand at this point, overseas is coming. It’s really good training wheels isn’t it? I think New Zealand always is. (laughter) Capital was almost very subtly meant to be a sci-fi film. It was about time travel. It was about going from the 1700’s to the near future. I love time travel and I love the future.

What made you get involved with this project?

I knew about the book, because I think it surprised everyone when it went to number one on the New York Times best seller list. I’d already done something on ‘inequality’ with New Zealand Television and Nigel Latta, way back in 2011, and I’d read a bit about it, so, I was interested to see what Thomas Piketty’s take was and got a copy of the book. Obviously for me straight away, it was the ‘time horizon’, he spans hundreds of years. People said, “Look what’s happened since the War”, and he goes back right before the French Revolution. But also, it was surprising, his book is an economic textbook. It wasn’t an easy read, and, it was written for people who were economists who are either studying at a tertiary level economics, or, are already trained. I think Thomas himself became interested in the fact, that so many people wanted to connect into his story, so, he was motivated to make a film based on that. New Zealand producer Matthew Metcalfe got in touch with him and pitched it. When I heard about Matthew talking to Thomas I went, “Oh, who’s going to make this?”, I really wanted to do it, so Matthew said, “Start writing it”, so, I did, on spec. It was sent to Thomas and he liked it.

All of your movies are ‘personal journeys’, have you discovered things that have blown your mind, making this film?

I had only read the book. It was something I’d been thinking about for a long time, so it wasn’t really new information in many ways. What it’s done has made me see even more, if that makes sense. Once you start looking, you start noticing things, you start seeing more, and more, and more. The whole thing about tax havens and things like that, I kind of thought, “Well, these big companies are not paying tax”. A lot of them, but what I didn’t realise was that it wasn’t some of them, it wasn’t most of them, it’s ALL of them. None of them at a certain level pay tax. I mean they pay a small, small amount. For example, in the film it talks about how Facebook is paying less UK tax than your average teacher, because of the way it gets shifted around the world, but it all ends up in a tax haven where none of it is taxed. You can’t dodge it completely, but this concept of the people at the top paying nothing, was worse than I thought. You need a certain amount of money to even be able to do that, it isn’t cheap, you need to have these structures and shell companies set up in shadow places that allow you to move everything, because it’s not illegal in that sense.

Do you risk being ostracised by Finance commentators?

I think it’s really interesting, if you check out the Financial Times in just the last week, they have absolutely everything that we’re talking about in the film. They’ve talked about how Capitalism needs a rework because it’s not working, and, how Democracy is failing because capital has influenced the narrative. I think that’s why things like climate change can’t be tackled, even though most of the world believe it. There’s so few sceptics now, even in America. I mean there’s another thing too, “How rich is rich?” That’s another thing I’ve noticed, everybody thinks, “The rich are richer”, even if you are rich. You can be very comfortably middle classed, and living a fabulous life and have a multi-million-dollar house, drive wealthy cars and taking lots of overseas holidays, but, you’re still saying, “Yes, but these people are the problem.”

With the New Zealand Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr, promoting consumerism, we are seeing a global trend of negative interest rates and introduced penalties, like in Australia, for having cash. Is this a trend that is happening globally?

I think that’s kind of another thing that’s going on. It’s all tied up but, this idea that to keep the ‘balls up in the air’, to be able to keep people consuming, to be able to keep growth coming. Yes, you need to almost penalise savings and promote debt. The rise of debt is something we look at. It arrived in the 90’s went absolutely berserk by the early 21st century, and that led to the global financial crisis, which, is when interest rates collapsed to be so low, and now, they can’t put them back up. In New Zealand in 2007/2008 people were paying 8.5% on their mortgages, that’s been ten years now of low interest. I would say that a lot of people, if you suddenly doubled your interest rate you’re paying now, that would be a problem. Then, what do you have, another real estate market collapse? Maybe people who don’t own houses would be really excited about it, because they’ve become so expensive. Why have they become so expensive? Because credit has become so cheap. Historically there have been a few ways out of it, either financial collapse or revolution.

What projects do you have now for consideration?

Well, it’s about funding (laughter). In New Zealand there’s a certain amount of public funding from the NZ Film Commission & NZ On Air. You have to be able to tick the boxes, it’s regulated capital in every sense, so it has to be a New Zealand story. There’s a story I’d love to tell that’s been on my mind for a while. It’s set in America and it’s about the future and I can’t see how I can get it funded just yet. Just getting there is an idea at the moment. And there’s another one that I’d like to make that’s kind of a hybrid between Capital and another film I made, 5 Eyes, so I’d like to go there. But I’m always interested in people. A person with an interesting story.

Words Sarah Kidd

“The addition of a couple of the latest queens of the music scene in the form of Cardi B and Lizzo, adding a much-needed sprinkle of relevant spice”

Based on a true story, or more specifically a 2015 article in New York magazine entitled ‘The Hustlers Score’, Lorene Scafaria soon has the audience cheering for the exotic dancer sisterhood with her stylish cinematic offering of Hustlers.

Starring Crazy Rich Asians’ Constance Wu (Destiny) and the incomparable Jennifer Lopez (Ramona) as the main protagonists, Hustlers manages to pull off being a fairly entertaining watch while exploring not only the camaraderie between women – especially the relationship between Ramona and Destiny who are also mothers to daughters of their own – but how the financial crisis of 2008 hit those just trying to make a living in the industries least thought about, the hardest.

Faced with a battle for survival, the girls of the Moves strip club soon find a way to keep the money rolling in, even if that means crossing a serious line. A cinematic crime drama, comparisons to films such as Goodfellas have been unavoidable, however unlike the Scorsese classic, Hustlers suffers a little under the burden of overly repetitive scenes and at times one-dimensional characters; the addition of a couple of the latest queens of the music scene in the form of Cardi B and Lizzo, adding a much-needed sprinkle of relevant spice.

Despite much of the film being set within the club, the combined direction and cinematography of Scafaria and Todd Banhazi prevents it from ever tumbling into the territory of tasteless voyeurism and in fact nods to not only the athleticism, but tireless work ethic required for the job role. And while money may be the root of all evil no matter which side of the fence you sit on, greed the undoing of both the victims and the perpetrators in this New York tale, Scafaria again is careful when walking that fine line; the story moving from glamorization and justification of the felonies, to watching as plans slowly unravel. Deception bringing about the ultimate downfall, consequence the only thing waiting at the bottom of the cliff.

With some excellent acting in the supporting roles from both Lili Reinhart and Keke Palmer not to mention the legendary but sadly underutilised Mercedes Ruehl, Hustlers is sure to be a hit, if not just for watching Jennifer Lopez steal every damn scene she appears in. From the moment she slides down a glittering pole under a literal shower of money to a decidedly Breaking Bad moment of cooking drugs in the kitchen of her penthouse apartment, each moment of celluloid is effortlessly owned and then tucked away inside her Louis Vuitton handbag.

Hustlers is a film that features one stunning and diverse group of lionesses, and none roars louder than J.Lo herself. Hustlers releases in New Zealand in theatres on October 10.

Words Jon Clist

Based on some of the online discussion that came out for Joker, this is certainly one of the most anticipated films for 2019. There has been so much talk already about Joaquin Phoenix and his complete inhabitation of the role of Arthur Fleck. So, it was always going to be hard to not have high expectations going into this film. The praise for Phoenix is not an overestimation by any stretch. He is so unbelievably brilliant in his portrayal of this broken character and for over two hours you cannot take your eyes off him.

There have been many actors to bring something rather fresh and unique to the role of Joker and hence most DC fans have a favourite already in mind. Thanks to his Oscar winning performance Heath Ledger has certainly found his way to the top pf that list in the eyes of many cinema goers. That spot could very well be in jeopardy thanks to this rather unique approach to the story of Arthur Fleck. Phoenix, in his usual style, has completely owned the character from start to finish. This an origin story and hence we get to see a wonderful transition from the man to villain. While this is Joaquin Phoenix’s first role in a comic book film, it is easy to see why he waited until a project like this came along. (Rumour has it that he previously turned down the title role in “Doctor Strange”, as well as the chance to replace Edward Norton as the Hulk in “The Avengers”, because he was unwilling to sign on to the multi-picture deal that Marvel Studios was requiring)

As always, his attention to detail is what makes this such a stunning performance. Phoenix lost a lot of weight for his role as the Joker. In fact he lost a reported 53 pounds for the role. This impacted his health so much that filming a lot of the scenes could only be done once, with no opportunity for reshoots. The incredibly skinny and gaunt portrayal that Phoenix brings to this role is scary and yet very engaging. He is a bad guy and yet there are moments that you find yourself feeling sorry for him and even hoping he might find some level of goodness amongst the crap hand that he has been dealt. This fits well within this story, for there is no good guy and there is no hope, just a large quantity of darkness, pain and suffering. This goes against the typical Hollywood big budget cinematic outing that revolves around the eternal battle of good versus evil. This is a film that gives no hope nor love and hence no warm fuzzy at any stage and especially at the end.

In a recent interview with SFX magazine, Phoenix acknowledged that while the violence in “Joker” is “a little more visceral and raw” than films such as the Avengers series, he “didn’t have any hesitation about it. You always want it to feel real, and you want the little violence that we have to have an impact,” he said. “What happens in a lot of movies is that you get numb to it, you’re killing 40,000 people, you don’t feel it. While being a fictional story in a fictional world, you always want it to feel real. Everything that happens in this movie as far as violence goes, you feel it.”

The rest of the cast do their jobs although for the most part you don’t even notice they are there (With the exception of Robert De Niro, who is great as the over-the-top Johnny Carson styled late night talk show host. It is beautifully filmed and staged and yet you won’t notice as all eyes are on Phoenix at all times.