Author: James Partridge

Cinema Release Round-Up: 29 August

Posted by | Aug 29, 2013 |

Three films go head-to-head-to-head this week, and it’s the Kiwi drama that comes out on top to win the coveted FOTW title. . Opening today: . THE WEIGHT OF ELEPHANTS……FILM OF THE WEEK New Zealand, Denmark, Germany, France | 83 minutes | Drama Director: Daniel Borgman (debut feature) Cast: Demos Murphy, Matthew Sunderland, Catherine Wilkin, Angelina Cottrell, Sophie Roberts Based on an award-winning novel by Sonya Hartnett, a young boy struggles with life in small town New Zealand, living with his Grandmother and Uncle. The disappearance of three children from the town serves to heighten his loneliness and anxiety. Saw this at NZIFF and it’s a stunning and poignant drama, with a superb performance from the young lead. Distributor: Madman Entertainment . JOBS USA | 127 minutes | Biography, Drama Director: Joshua Michael Stern (Swing Vote) Cast: Ashton Kutcher, Josh Gad, Dermot Mulroney, Matthew Modine, James Woods, J.K. Simmons, Amanda Crew, Lukas Haas Bite into the life and times of Apple’s former CEO Steve Jobs, from the company’s humble beginnings in a Californian garage. Ashton certainly looks the part, but can he fill the man’s legendary shoes…and black polo? Distributor: Vendetta Films . RED 2 USA | 116 minutes | Action, Comedy Director: Dean Parisot (Fun with Dick and Jane, Galaxy Quest) Cast: Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, John Malkovich, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Anthony Hopkins, Mary-Louise Parker, David Thewlis, Neal McDonough,...

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Kiwi fantasy sci-fi ‘Salomé’ gets a novel and official artwork

Posted by | Aug 22, 2013 |

For over decade, Jade Valor has dreamed about bringing her version of the biblical character Salomé to the big screen, and that dream takes a step closer today with the official novel launch in Wellington tonight. Some official artwork for the novel/film has also been released and we have these sumptuous and striking images by artist Matt Donnici for you here. But this story actually starts in the 1960’s when Valor was a budding opera singer in New York and first came across the Strauss opera Salomé – composed in 1905 and based on Oscar Wilde’s 1893 Victorian drama in which Salomé takes a perverse fancy for John the Baptist, and has him executed when he spurns her affections. Years later, in 1978 and while in Germany, Jade was blown away by the particular adaptation she was performing in. She became obsessed with reading the original text and subsequent translation, both depicting Salomé as a depraved, waton young girl. What Valor discovered was that Wilde saw Salomé as more of a mystic than a femme fatale, and that her name actually translates as ‘The Peaceable One’. So Jade was determined to one day redeem Salomé and restore her innocence. In 2001 she began work on the screenplay with writing partner Sharlie Pryce. Several years later their high-concept, sci-fi fantasy love story was ready to shop around, but it needed...

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Cinema Release Round-Up: 22 August

Posted by | Aug 22, 2013 |

A fine assortment of films for your entertainmen this week, including fresh takes on Shakespeare classics, indie gems from Spain and Afghanistan, and the return of Kick-Ass and Hit Girl. . Opening today: . MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING……FILM OF THE WEEK USA | 107 minutes | Comedy, Drama, Romanace Director: Joss Whedon (The Avengers, Serenity) Cast: Amy Acker, Alexis Denisof, Reed Diamond, Clark Gregg, Fran Kranz, Sean Maher, Jillian Morgese, Nathan Fillion Shakespeare’s romantic comedy about two pairs of lovers is given a modern-day setting and a low-budget twist by master filmmaker Joss Whedon – filmed at his Santa Monica home. I saw this at the recent NZIFF and it’s an absolute delight. Distributor: Rialto Distribution . KICK-ASS 2 USA/UK | 103 minutes | Action, Comedy Director: Jeff Wadlow (Never Back Down, Cry Wolf) Cast: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Chloe Grace Moretz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Jim Carrey, Lyndsy Fonseca, Donald Faison, Clark Duke, Morris Chestnut, John Leguizamo Kick-Ass and Hit Girl re-team to take on Red Mist’s new alter-ego, and world’s first supervillian, The M*therf*cker – hell bent on making Kick-Ass pay for the death of his gangster father. It’s a tough ask to top the original. I just hope this comes close. Distributor: Paramount . TASTING MENU Spain | 83 minutes | Comedy Director: Roger Gual (Smoking Room) Cast: Fionnula Flanagan, Timothy Gibbs, Stephen Rea, Togo Igawa, Claudia Bassols, Jan Cornet...

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