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Showing posts from February, 2022

What's on DocPlay in March

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What's on DocPlay in March It's another bumper-packed month for DocPlay. Here are the titles being added to the documentary service this March. 3 March  Notturno From the director of Golden Bear winner Fire at Sea comes an achingly poetic, humane meditation on life in the shadow of war and the Islamic State. In Syria, Iraq, Kurdistan and Lebanon, life goes on. Years, sometimes decades, of terror have brutalised these lands – but that’s not the story that Gianfranco Rosi is interested in telling. The Oscar-nominated documentarian spent three years filming, mostly solo, in the region, his aim being to tell the stories beyond the conflict. Acting as cinematographer as well as director, writer, producer and sound technician, he captures stunning imagery of the everyday in the aftermath of war, following people “living along the border that separates life from hell”. A fascinating picture of human resilience and healing. 7 March Walt Disney In 1966, the year he died from lung cancer...

What's on Neon in March

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What's on Neon in March Our Flag Means Death March 4 Loosely based on the true adventures of Stede Bonnet, a pampered aristocrat who experiences a midlife crisis and decides to abandon his life of privilege to become a pirate. However, he quickly learns that a pirate's life isn't for everybody.  Starring Rhys Darby (Flight of the Conchords), Taika Waititi (JoJo Rabbit), Dave Fane (Sione's Wedding), Joel Fry (Cruella), Fred Armisen (Saturday Night Live), Leslie Jones (Ghostbusters), Ewen Bremner (Trainspotting), and Rory Kinnear (No Time To Die).  Winning Time: The Rise of the LA Lakers Dynasty March 8 A fast-break new drama series that goes back in time to chronicle the professional and personal lives of the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers, one of basketball's most revered and dominant dynasties - a team that defined an era, both on and off the court.  Starring: John C. Reilly, Quincy Isaiah, Jason Clarke, Adrien Brody, Sally Field, Dr. Solomon Hughes, Gaby Hoffman, Jason ...

Venom: Let There Be Carnage: Blu Ray Review

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Venom: Let There Be Carnage: Blu Ray Review There's an anarchic feel to the Venom sequel, as Tom Hardy once again lets loose in the dual role as bumbling reporter Eddie Brock and alien symbiote Venom. This time around, Brock's looking to reignite his career as local police try desperately to find the victims of serial killer Cletus Kasady (Harrelson, in a scene-chewing turn). When Kasady grants Brock an audience from on death row, Brock and Venom inadvertently infect Kasady and help him escape. Swearing vengeance on those who wronged him, Kasady begins wreaking carnage on the city as Brock and Venom squabble over their own future. Venom: Let There Be Carnage promises a lot, but really delivers little more than a toothless time that could have been much, much more. Essentially a take on abusive relationships all round from Brock and Venom to Kasady and his long lost love (Harris, in a relatively wasted role), Serkis's relatively frenetic take on the Venom saga ends up in the...

Military Wives: Neon NZ Film Review

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Military Wives: Neon NZ Film Review The Full Monty director Peter Cattaneo knows exactly where he wants to go with this tale of a group of army wives who're left on base and killing time when their husbands are deployed to Afghanistan. And to be fair, he should - after all, he achieved the same level of crowd-pleasing success with The Full Monty in 1997, a tale of seemingly polar opposites and shambolic group of amateurs coming together to achieve glory under duress. (Even in Military Wives, there's someone within the group who's hopelessly out of their depth, but whose underdog enthusiasm wins through.) Catastrophe's Horgan is Lisa, a freewheeling mum of a troubled daughter who butts heads with Scott-Thomas' prissy and uptight Kate, the wife of the base's brigadier. Scorning the usual ideas from the icy Kate of knitting to pass the time and keep the Brit morale up ("It's a bit Little Women, innit" she decries), Lisa assembles the group into a sing...

No Exit: Movie Review

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No Exit: Movie Review Cast: Havana Rose Liu, Dennis Haysbert, Danny Ramirez, Dale Dickey, David Rysdahl Director: Andy Canny An intimate Covid-fuelled  shoot aimed at bringing a psychological edge to a chamber piece No Exit may want to be, but what it ends up being as far from the aspirations as it is the reality of its execution. The Sky is Everywhere’s Havana Rose Liu stars as Darby,  a struggling alcoholic, who upon receiving the news her mum is dying breaks out of rehab and blusters straight into a blizzard. Forced to get off the road, she pulls up at a stop where she encounters former military man Ed (Dennis Haysbert), his ex-nurse wife Sandi (Dale Dickey), the jittery Lars (David Rysdahl) and confident Ash (Danny Ramirez). Settling in for a night of being forced to get to know strangers, Darby finds her world turned upside down when she discovers a seemingly-kidnapped girl in the back of a van outside - and tries to work out who exactly is behind the young captive's plig...

What's new on Disney+ in March

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What's new on Disney+ in March The premiere of a brand new Pixar adventure, and a new Marvel mini series starring Oscar Isaac are just two of the highlights of what's ahead on Disney+ in March. Here's the full round up. Turning Red 11 March Disney and Pixar’s “Turning Red” introduces Mei Lee, a confident, dorky 13-year-old torn between staying her mother’s dutiful daughter and the chaos of adolescence. Her protective, if not slightly overbearing mother, Ming, is never far from her daughter—an unfortunate reality for the teenager. And as if changes to her interests, relationships and body weren’t enough, whenever she gets too excited, she “poofs” into a giant red panda! Also Don’t Miss…. Embrace the Panda: Making Turning Red "Embrace the Panda: Making Turning Red is a feature documentary about the all-women team at the helm of Pixar's original feature, Turning Red. With behind-the-scenes access to Director Domee Shi and her core leadership crew, this story shines a ...

Win a double pass to see BOOK OF LOVE in cinemas

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Win a double pass to see BOOK OF LOVE in cinemas To celebrate the release of the BOOK OF LOVE, in cinemas now, thanks to StudioCanal New Zealand, you can win a double pass. About BOOK OF LOVE Young, uptight and unsuccessful English writer Henry's novel sells to no one.  But when his book is suddenly a surprise hit in Mexico, his publicist insists he travel there on a promotional tour.  Upon arrival, a confused Henry discovers the reason behind his novel's popularity - Mexican translator Maria has rewritten his dull book as a steamy erotic novel.  Henry, furious, and Maria, reluctant, must now travel together on a book tour across Mexico. As tempers flair and sparks begin to fly, the two begin to find love and lust despite themselves. Starring Sam Claflin and Verónica Echegui Book of Love is cinemas now

What's on Netflix in March

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What's on Netflix in March Australian actor Toni Collete  stars in Pieces of Her, where a woman tries to piece together her mother's dark past after a violent attack in their small town brings hidden threats and deadly secrets to light. Lady Whistledown returns for Season 2 of Bridgerton. Viscount Anthony Bridgerton is deciding who to marry, only to meet his match in his intended bride's headstrong big sister.  And if romance and drama from Bridgerton isn't enough, docu-soap Byron Baes will bring you the best of Australia’s influencers who flock to Byron Bay for its warm, beachy beauty and cool, creative vibe.  Sun, surf, sound-healing, and a whole lot of drama, what more can one ask for? This month also sees the arrival of the two seasons of Redfern Now and the telemovie, Redfern Now: Promise Me which follows contemporary issues faced by Aboriginal Australians living in the Australian suburb of Redfern.  All titles and dates are subject to change. ORIGINAL SERIES Th...

Studio 666: Movie Review

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Studio 666: Movie Review Cast: The Foo Fighters, Whitney Cummings, Will Forte, Jeff Garlin Director: BJ McDonnell Studio 666 is a Scooby Doo film, a vanity project without the wit, inventiveness or decency to leave when it's not welcome. It may have a Shaggy in its long-haired hero Dave Grohl, but the only dog in this movie is the script, which calls for ham, silliness and supernatural acting that's beyond the pale in so many ways. Based on a story by Dave Grohl (that in truth should have been aborted and sent to hell), it's the story of the Foo Fighters as they try to record their 10th album. Relocating to an Encino mansion to record their masterpiece, Grohl becomes obsessed with creating a 45 minute masterpiece.  However, the obsession is fuelled by demons which haunt the house, after a thwarted recording session from the 90s turned deadly - and soon all the Foo Fighters are fighting for their lives and their souls. Mixing comedy and horror should be an easy win, but Stud...

Cyrano: Movie Review

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Cyrano: Movie Review Cast: Peter Dinklage, Haley Bennett, Ben Mendelsohn, Kelvin Harrison Jr,  Director: Joe Wright Adapted from the 2019 off Broadway play of the same name, Game of Thrones' star Peter Dinklage takes the lead in this latest take on the tale of doomed love and Cyrano de Bergerac. Under the helm of Atonement's Joe Wright, and making a magnificent fist of some of the Italian scenery around, Cyrano constructs some truly beautiful and tragic moments as this musical spins its tale of the fate of two long term friends, unaware of how each other feels. Dinklage is Cyrano, a brilliant wordsmith and wit, but whose words fail him when it comes to matters of the heart concerning his long term friend Roxanne (Bennett). When Roxanne falls in love at first sight with Kelvin Harrison Jr's Christian, Cyrano must help Christian woo the woman he loves - and put aside his own feelings. But with De Guiche (Mendelsohn, all pantomime villain sans twirling moustache) insisting tha...

Sony reveals first look at PlayStation VR2, its new Virtual reality tool

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Sony reveals first look at PlayStation VR2, its new Virtual reality tool Sony has revealed its first look at PlayStation VR2, its new Virtual reality tool which will work with the PS5. Speaking on PlayStation blog, Hideaki Nishino, the Senior Vice President, Platform Experience unveiled the look as well as the first glimpse of the newly redesigned Sense controllers. "You’ll notice the PS VR2 headset has a similar shape as the PS VR2 Sense controller, taking on a matching “orb” look. The circular orb shape represents the 360-degree view that players feel when they enter the virtual reality world, so this shape captures it nicely. "The design of the PS VR2 headset was also inspired by the look of the PS5 family of products. When our design team created the PS5 console, they also had the next generation VR headset in mind so you’ll notice some similarities in the look and feel. The PS5 console has flat edges as it is meant to be displayed on a flat surface, while there was more ...

Flee: Movie Review

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Flee: Movie Review Director: Jonas Poher Rasmussen  Jonas Poher Rasmussen's animated tale of refugees and redemption is adept at humanising the face of a section of the human populace so often demonised by shallow headlines and attention-grabbing reporting. Focussing in on a series of animated interviews with Amin Nawabi, a refugee forced to abandon his family home in Afghanistan, Rasmussen weaves a story of lives disrupted and of families torn asunder by conflict. Mixing animation, archival Super 8 footage and evocative songs from the 80s pop scene, Rasmussen's tale of a refugee caught out in the system is nothing short of compellingly told, and emotionally exceptional.  It's a survivor's story at heart, but importantly, it's never a story about a victim - conversely, there's a feeling of empowerment throughout Rasmussen's simplistic telling of Amin's story. There's an immersive feel to this tale as it pulls the audience into proceedings, and clever...

What's on Amazon Prime Video in March

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What's on Amazon Prime Video in March Another month in the world of streaming and there's no sign of any let up for things for people to watch. Amazon Prime Video is no exception either, with the likes of a new series for one of Star Trek's favourites and every single James Bond film - including Daniel Craig's finale, No Time To Die. Here's what's streaming in March on Amazon Prime Video. STAR TREK: PICARD S2 AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY FROM FRIDAY 4 MARCH Season two of Star Trek: Picard takes the legendary Jean-Luc Picard and his crew on a bold and exciting new journey: into the past.  Picard must enlist friends both old and new to confront the perils of 21st century Earth in a desperate race against time to save the galaxy’s future – and face the ultimate trial from one of his greatest foes. Star Trek: Picard features Sir Patrick Stewart reprising his iconic role as Jean-Luc Picard, which he played for seven seasons on “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” and follows t...