NZIFF '14: Picks of the Fest

It's now just over week away before the New Zealand International Film Festival kicks off in Auckland, and as per tradition, time to share a few picks from the programme -- which I might add, is really solid this year. I've done some picks over at Flicks, but here are five more you might not want to miss...

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SNOWPIERCER
Bong Joon-ho's sci-fi thriller, set on a moving train in a post-apocalyptic future, has been garnering rave reviews and fervent social media support since its recent release in the States. Equally at home doing a monster movie (The Host) or a crime drama (Memories of Murder), Bong is one of South Korea's finest, most effortlessly genre-jumpin' filmmaker, and everything points towards Snowpiercer being another winner.

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HOUSEBOUND
When was the last time we had a Kiwi horror film worth celebrating? It appears Housebound might be one for the ages. This debut by writer/director Gerard Johnstone was the sensation of SXSW when it played back in March, and the programme notes suggest at it "could easily be the most energising fun you've ever had at a New Zealand movie." Johnstone will be present to introduce the film.

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BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
One of those textbook must-see classics that somehow I've never got around to seeing, and I imagine this 4K digital restoration of Cocteau's 1946 film will look exceptionally beautiful at the Civic and be the ideal way to see it for the first time.

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JODOROWSKY'S DUNE
Alejandro Jodorowsky -- the visionary Chilean madman behind '70s cult mind-melters El Topo and The Holy Mountain -- once came very close to making his version of Frank Herbert's sci-fi novel Dune. So what happened? Documentarian Frank Pavich tells the story behind Jod's unrealised vision, and it's kinda heartbreaking for anyone who loves movies.

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THE GALAPAGOS AFFAIR: SATAN CAME TO EDEN
Wow, this sounds insane. Fans of bizarre true crime tales will get a kick out of this doco, a fascinating whodunit involving "utopian ideals, sexual intrigue and murderous jealousy" on the tiny island of Floreana in the Galapagos. Say no more, I'm there!

NZIFF: Picks of the Fest

Tickets for the New Zealand International Film Festival go on sale tomorrow in Auckland, and if you've just been too busy to even look at the programme, here are a few films which I'm looking forward to...

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ORNETTE: MADE IN AMERICA
Some years ago the NZFF screened a great doco on avant-jazz saxophonist Albert Ayler which I’ve been trying to see again without much luck. Ayler was one of two musicians John Coltrane said he would like to see play at his funeral. The other was Ornette Coleman. I’m hoping this once-hard-to-see 1985 doco by underground filmmaker Shirley Clarke will offer a similarly fascinating and impressionistic mix of context and perspective on this true genius of seriously out-there sounds. Clarke’s unconventional approach to the format -- supposedly as free as experimental as Coleman’s playing -- should appeal to anyone bored with routine hagiographic portraits.

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DIAL M FOR MURDER 3D
Normally I’d wouldn’t make anything 3D a priority, but when you put Alfred Hitchcock into the equation, well, everything changes. I mean how often do you get to see Hitchcock in 3D on the big screen? Word is that Warner did a bang-up job restoring this smart, witty ‘54 suspenser starring Ray Milland and Grace Kelly, and the screening at Toronto International Film Festival last year sold out in TEN MINUTES. Reviews of the 3D have been encouraging, stating that Hitch wasn’t just about the gimmick, only employing it sparingly to enhance depth and emotion. Also: retro programming is easily my favourite part of the festival.

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LEVIATHAN
The New York Times on Leviathan: “a product of the Sensory Ethnography Lab at Harvard, offers not information but immersion: 90 minutes of wind, water, grinding machinery and piscine agony.” You had me SENSORY ETHNOGRAPHY LAB. The rest is gravy. Critics worldwide have been bowled over by the visceral sensory wallop of Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Verena Paravel’s “doco” “about” the commercial fishing industry, which was filmed entirely on tiny cameras more commonly used to shoot extreme sports. From the startling images I’ve seen, Leviathan could be the darkest, most beautiful and terrifying experience of this year’s fest.

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COMPUTER CHESS
Andrew Bujalski hasn’t put a foot wrong yet. I still think his debut, 2002’s Funny Ha Ha is one of the best indies of the last decade, even if it spawned a movement with a much-maligned name (“mumblecore”) which he’s ever since been eager to sever ties with. It’s always heartening to see a filmmaker grow with each film, and with Computer Chess, Bujalski seems to be transitioning into a new promising phase of I’m not exactly quite sure what yet. Already a festival favourite stateside, its singular, retro-nerd-core video-vision of chess software programmers in the ‘80s sounds endearing and speaks to the geek inside me -- who also likes the fact that it was shot in the rarely used and unfashionably boxy Academy ratio.

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Some others I've penciled in: Ilo Ilo, Camille Claudel 1915, Post Tenebras Lux, Blue Ruin, Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer, The Dance of Reality, Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me, The Strange Little Cat... there'll be more to come no doubt!

Film Festival Picks

The 2012 New Zealand International Film Festival starts today in Auckland, and if you've been too busy to keep up with what's playing and what might be good, here's a quick list of picks from each section of the programme to help you out:

ANIMATION
From Up on Poppy Hill - This wistful-looking new feature from Studio Ghibli master Hayao Miyazaki's son Goro looks about 100% better than this first film (Tales from Earthsea, ughh). Always a treat to catch Japanese animation on the big screen.

AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND
How To Meet Girls from a Distance - I can imagine a future when there's a bigger budget, star-studded remake of this but for now let's just see how the winner of last year's Make My Movie competition turned out.

ARMED AND DANGEROUS
Killer Joe - see here.

BIG NIGHTS & SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS
The Shining / Holy Motors - If you're a horror fan and you're not even going to entertain the thought of catching The Shining at the Civic...I can't even. And Holy Motors? Leos Carax's mind-bender seems to be the festival's hot ticket to WTF City.

CHAMPIONS
Undefeated - This year's Oscar winner for Best Documentary feature. Inspirational sports doc.

FRAMING REALITY
The Imposter - Totally can't wait for this "mesmerizing psychological thriller bulging with twists, turns, nasty insinuations and shocking revelations" (Hollywood Reporter). PS. It's a doco.

GO SLOW
In the Fog - The most challenging section of the festival but sometimes the most rewarding. Any film you pick here will not be like any other film in the festival. I spun the wheel and landed on In the Fog, which looks perfectly ponderous.

INCREDIBLY STRANGE
The Cabin in the Woods - see here.

MUSICIANS! DANCERS!
Searching for Sugar Man - Crowd-pleasing music doco about the search for long lost Mexican/American singer-songwriter who did this catchy little number. Early word has been very positive.

NEW DIRECTIONS
Compliance - This one is going to turn heads. Best to go in cold apparently and be completely horrified by what happens.

PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST
Marina Abramović: The Artist Is Present - Doco on amazing performance artist whose most famous piece involves sitting silently for 3 months in a gallery and allowing the public to encounter her.

WORLDS OF DIFFERENCE
The Sun Beaten Path - I love a good otherworldy ethnographic flick and this Tibetan movie ticks all the boxes. Landscapes, spirituality, completely foreign place and people, etc.

Happy film festivalling!