new zealand Tagged Articles at Cinematical
SIFF Review: Black Sheep
Filed under: Comedy », Horror », Independent », Berlin », IFC », Theatrical Reviews », Festival Reports », Seattle », Toronto International Film Festival », Cinematical Indie »
Is there any creature on earth less scary than a sheep? When I think "sheep," I think bland, mild-eyed creatures growing furry coats of wool for all those wool sweaters sold in LL Bean catalogs, not blood-thirsty freaks of nature, but when a film about sheep has the tagline, "There are 40 million sheep in New Zealand ... and they're pissed off!" -- you know you're in for something different.
Black Sheep, written and helmed by Jonathan King, takes perhaps the most innocuous creatures in the animal kingdom, and turns them into blood-thirsty, viscous monsters who can either eat you for dinner, or bite you and turn you into one of them. The film starts out at beautiful Glenolden Station, farmed for over a century by the Olden family. Elder brother Angus (Peter Feeney, who some might recognize from his roles on Xena: Warrior Princess and Hercules on television), who's been pathologically jealous of his younger brother Henry (newcomer Nathan Meister) since childhood, has turned the family sheep farm into a cutting-edge, scientifically-focused business focused on breeding the perfect sheep. Henry hasn't been home to the family farm in years; he suffers from a crippling sheep-phobia that was caused by Angus horrifically killing Henry's pet sheep when they were young boys.
SXSW Review: The Devil Dared Me To
Filed under: Action », Comedy », Independent », SXSW », Theatrical Reviews », Cinematical Indie »
Looks like the blissful juggernaut that is Lord of the Rings has opened the New Zealand floodgates, not only as a location that Hollywood covets, but also as a launching pad for a whole bunch of hard-working (yet entirely insane) kiwi filmmakers. In just the last month I've been treated to three great indies from New Zealand: the romantic comedy Eagle vs. Shark, the dizzyingly entertaining horror farce Black Sheep, and now this: a completely scrappy, wonderfully twisted, and adorably scruffy little import called The Devil Dared Me To.
The flick's got the same basic set-up as your average Will Ferrell or Adam Sandler sports comedy: Randy Cambell comes from a long line of (now-dead) New Zealand stuntmen, and he'll stop at nothing to follow in those freaky footsteps, regardless of how much suffering he must withstand at the hands of current stunt-king Dick Johansonson. With the help from a few loyal lunatics (and his one-legged girlfriend Tracy "Tragedy" Jones), can Randy rise from porta-potty duty to become New Zealand's premiere stunt-maniac? Doesn't really matter, because there's lots of crazy fun along the way.
Cinematical Indie Exclusive: Eagle vs Shark One-Sheet
Filed under: Comedy », Independent », SXSW », Sundance », Distribution », Movie Marketing », Miramax », Cinematical Indie »
Eagle Vs Shark, which debuted at Sundance this year, and is showing now at SXSW, was a welcome respite from the ever-so-serious nature of many of the festival films. Our own Scott Weinberg, in his review of the film, described it as "Napoleon Dynamite meets When Harry Met Sally." The New Zealand film is about Lily, a fast-food worker, who's crushing hard on Jarrod, a "mulleted mega-nerd." The two attempt a romance, and much hilarity ensues from there.
The film was picked up by Miramax, and will be coming to theaters June 1. In the meantime, you can see an exclusive one-sheet of the film above and check out the film's official website.
Sundance Review: Eagle vs. Shark
Filed under: Comedy », Independent », Romance », Sundance », Theatrical Reviews », Miramax », Cinematical Indie »
If I described a film as "Napoleon Dynamite meets When Harry Met Sally," would that be enough to pique your interest? How about if I added that it was an oddball and off-kilter little indie from the fine folks down in New Zealand; would that make the idea seem more palatable? Well, to be honest, if you threw those descriptions at me as I was sitting down to watch Eagle vs. Shark, I'd probably roll my eyes, stifle a sigh and prepare myself for a film as familiar as it is unnecessary.
But like I always say: That's why we watch the movies. Because despite some over-quirky trappings and a fairly familiar sense of weird humor, Eagle vs. Shark is (in some ways) even better than Napoleon Dynamite -- the film which Eagle vs. Shark will be compared with most frequently. (I definitely enjoyed Napoleon, but it seemed to harbor a mild contempt for its characters, whereas Eagle most definitely does not.) Both films are set in exotically bland locales that are populated by humorously askew denizens who spew some seriously arcane conversations at one another. But there's a real sense of sweetness to this Kiwi import that elevates it beyond many of its ilk -- and the actors are really good.
Wanna See What Those Black Sheep Look Like?
Filed under: Comedy », Horror », IFC », The Weinstein Co. »
Kimmy V. and I saw Jonathan King's Black Sheep at a rather raucous and enthusiastic midnight screening during last September's Toronto Film Festival, and we were both pretty sure that the comedy/horror confection would be purchased by the end of the week. Well, it took a little longer than that, but IFC and Los Weinsteins both enjoyed the flick enough to invest some cash in it.Now comes an all-new trailer for Black Sheep, and trust me on this: If the trailer does nothing for you, then you probably won't like the movie. If, on the other hand, the trailer had you chuckling a little, odds are you'll have a good time with King's "sheep gone psycho" exploits. The New Zealand import opens in its native land on March 22, and I've no idea when IFC plans to release it in North America, but since the Weinsteins have DVD rights for Black Sheep, expect some sort of theatrical release this year. (Probably fairly limited.)
Ah, and in case you forgot: Black Sheep is about a scientific experiment gone horribly wrong, a massive flock of rabidly infected quadripeds, and some well-intentioned (but stupid) hippie-types who end up as sheep zombie mega-monsters. It's all very insane, trust me.
Should a Film's Subjects Have a Say In Its Rating?
Filed under: Drama », Independent », Celebrities and Controversy », Movie Marketing », Politics », Toronto International Film Festival », Cinematical Indie »
Last month at TIFF, I reviewed a film called Out of the Blue, about the massacre that took place in the quiet town of Aramoana, New Zealand in 1990. David Gray, a lifelong resident of the town whose mental health had been deteriorating for some time, snapped and killed 13 of his neighbors, including four young children. The film is extraordinarily well-done and handles the events of that awful day with considerable restraint; even so, it was difficult for me to watch, and I wasn't a part of the tragedy. Director Robert Sarkies, a New Zealander who lived in a town near Aramoana at the time of the massacre, was very aware of the need to be sensitive in making this film, and as part of the process he met with residents, allowed representatives of the victims to read the script before filming began, and agreed to the conditions the people of Aramoana requested, including that he not film within the town itself.
When Sarkies spoke before the screening of his film at TIFF about working with the people of Aramoana in the making of Out of the Blue, and noted that, for the most part, the people who thought the film shouldn't be made were people who weren't directly impacted by the tragedy. Several of the actual survivors, in fact, met with the actors who were playing them. The New Zealand Office of Film and Literature Classification has given the film an "R15" rating, and Chief Censor Bill Hastings has added a descriptive note that "violence and content may disturb."
Walden Media LOVES New Zealand
Filed under: Action », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Deals », Remakes and Sequels »
Fantasy stories, as a general rule, are frequently set in lush green forests and rolling, grass-covered hills. There
are often beautiful, rushing rivers and lovely dales, as well. And while the movie industry is currently loving the
fantasy book action, the world is notably short on large areas of nature that look like an idealized version of Europe
in the Middle Ages. However, New Zealand has some choice territory, and has consequently found itself very popular. Most recent and notable of the New Zealand film gang is probably The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, top box office taker of the winter season.* In fact, production company Walden Media was really thrilled with the place, and wants to head right back for Prince Caspian. Apparently, a deal is very close to finalizing. And that's not all! Word is Walden Media also wants to make the place a permanent location by building a state-of-the-art studio space. You can check out a video news report with the details here.
This shouldn't surprise anyone -- the country is beautiful and it makes for great exterior settings in the sorts of films that Walden likes to handle. I'm sure it makes good money for the big NZ as well, so everyone can be happy. Except, I suppose, countries that don't have anything to offer in the film department -- but they're just jealous.
*Yes, it eked ahead of Harry Potter.
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