Scarface Goes to School

Um... I'm not sure how real this is, but it needs to be seen anyway: KIDS ACTING OUT BRIAN DE PALMA'S SCARFACE IN A SCHOOL PLAY.

Waltz Trololos

Here's an amusing clip of Inglourious Basterds Oscar-winner Christoph Waltz on Jimmy Kimmel Live! getting interviewed for a mock BBC doco where he talks about his role in Der Humpink - a spoof of the Trololo man (if you don't know about this latest Internet viral star, watch this first and read about the guy here).

In Cinemas This Week

Boy - Taika Watiti's (Eagle vs Shark) newest feature, has taken four years to come to fruition and is already being hailed as one of the best kiwi films for some time. I was lucky enough to see this the day after its world premiere at SXSW and can say it is in my top five kiwi movies ever made. Funny, moving, profound and unmistakably kiwi at its core, this is well worth catching.

The Men Who Stare At Goats - A look at the lives of the men of The New Earth Army, a group of soldiers who claim psychic powers as part of their arsenal. A total work of fiction, the film tracks a course looking at the unwritten history of experimentation from a "free love" commanding officer, Brigadeer General Dean Hopgood (Jeff Bridges), intent on awakening a new breed of soldier through dropping acid and astral projection. Starring Ewan McGregor, George Clooney, Kevin Spacey. Quirky, surreal and well-paced, this is for those viewers who like their conspiracies easy to swallow.

How To Train Your Dragon - Young Viking warrior boy must prove his worth by capturing and training a feared dragon in this Dreamworks Studios animated 3D fest. I'm a little worried that the animation looks a bit behind the eight-ball as far as current trends are concerned, but always like the concept of Vikings in a story, so there should be something to be enjoyed here. Voices by new-comer Jay Baruchel, Gerrard Butler, Johan Hill, Kirsten Wiig and Christohper Mintz-Plasse.

The Brothers Bloom - One of my favorite new directors of last decade, Rian Johnson (Brick), returns with a smart period crime comedy. Starring Adrien Brody, Mark Ruffalo and Rachel Weisz. About brothers who decide to return to a life of petty crime only for one of them to fall for the charms of their intended victim. Trailer looks fun, but has been getting mixed reviews State-side.

Trailer: Titanic: The Sequel

Amusing mash-up with inspired moments - love the frozen-in-ice bit! - though continuity is a bit scattered and the techno remix of Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" perhaps too obvious. Voice-over guy nails it.

In Cinemas This Week

The Road - Based on Cormac Macarthy's novel, this post-apocalyptic drama follows a father and son through a harsh American wilderness after an un-named catastophe has struck years before. Plot invloves cannibalism, paranoia and suicide. Pretty bleak stuff. Viggo Mortensen and Kodi Smit-Mckee star. Watch out for some fantastic almost unrecognisable cameos from a couple of great stars. Grim, startling and ultimately beautiful.

Green Zone - Touted as the new Bourne-a-like - indeed, its directed byPaul Greengrass and stars Matt Damon - this Iraqi war drama looks action and espionage packed. Unfortunately its been getting some pretty awful reviews, with one reporting walkouts from sheer boredom. I hear the only thing worth going to see this for is a single chopper explosion. Oh dear.

The Boys Are Back - Clive Owen in touching comedy/drama, shot in South Australia, about a career man who loses his wife and must face bringing up his two boys and the highly-charged situations that the strains of this sort of change bring. Looks like a lovely touching human drama full of honesty and pathos.

The Bounty Hunter - Gerard Butler and Jennifer Aniston, in a comedy, about... uh... a bounty hunter. A no brainer.

Trailer: Hot Tub Time Machine

I don't care how terrible this is. ANY film called "Hot Tub Time Machine" has my hard earned dollars!

Besides, its got a great cast, bad dialogue and awesome 80s fashions. How could it go wrong?

Trailer for 'Movie Title'

Have a laugh at this inventive movie trailer made entirely out of common film tropes and cliches.

In Cinemas This Week

Law Abiding Citizen - Gerrard Butler as an "everyday guy" is a bit of a stretch, but this thriller about a family man whose family is massacred by criminals could well be an action-packed revenge fest. Another slightly incredulous piece of casting here though: Jamie Foxx, as the baddie who set him up in the first place. Directed by F Gary Gray (The Italian Job).

Remember Me - Romantic drama starring heart-throbs Robert Pattinson and Emilie de Raven. She witnesses her mother's murder. He witnesses his brother's suicide. Sound like fun?

The Admiral - One of the most expensive Russian films ever made. The story of one of the White Army's most controversial commanders, Alexander Kolchak (Konstantin Khabensky), who leads military forces in battle against the Bolshieviks. Add a romantic plot thread, massive war set-pieces, a huge orchestral score and beautiful costumes, and you have the makings of a great historical epic from a country renowned for its great historical epics.

This Way of Life - Local documentary about a horse whisperer on our very own East Coast. Follows Peter Karena and his family over four years as he trys to eke out an existence in this high niche profession. Directed and shot by highly respected kiwi cinematographer Tom Burstyn, this apparently looks "visually ravishing".

Trailer: Tron Legacy

This is beginning to look exciting. Academy award winner Jeff "the Dude" Bridges, Bruce "OG Tron" Boxleitner, Olivia "Oh-Yes-ia" Wilde!

Thank God they moved away from the Tron 2.0: Killer App videogame title to something with some semblance of dignity.

The Post-Oscars Thing

Between busily adding movies to the site and watching a live web stream of the Oscars yesterday afternoon (and also tweeting), I didn't really get a complete feel for how it all went down, but it seems like the general consensus is that it was another ho-hum year, even though it was reportedly the most watched Oscars in five years. One surprising, perfectly cringey and awkward moment is worth mentioning - it's been called "Kanye moment" of the Oscars: during the Best Documentary Short award - which went to Music By Prudence - director-producer Roger Ross Williams was ambushed on stage by producer Elinor Burkett, who went on to hog the microphone for the rest of the acceptance speech. Watch the video below and then head over to Salon to read an interview with the filmmakers about what happened:

In Cinemas This Week - Awesome 80s Kids Film Edition!!

Two films staple to my cinematic diet back in the 80s are returning to the big-screen this weekend for a limited run around the country.

Gremlins and The Goonies.

If you grew up on them, like I did, they're both worth catching again in a cinema to bring back those great childhood memories. Although, if you're too young to remember, this is your opportunity to catch up on a couple of absolute bonafide old-school classics!

(Big cheers to SkyCity Cinemas for making this possible. Bookings can be made HERE).

In Cinemas This Week

Alice In Wonderland - Tim Burton (Sweeney Todd, Edward Scissorhands) finally realises his big-screen green-screen laden adaptation of the Lewis Carroll classic that many fans have been drooling with anticipation over. Relative newcomer Mia Wasikowska is Alice alongside usual Burton regulars Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter and Helena Bonham-Carter as The Red Queen with a host of major talent embodying the rest of the roles on offer - Anne Hathaway as The White Queen, Alan Rickman as Blue Caterpillar and especially Stephen Fry as The Cheshire Cat. This looks to be an absolute visual feast (or at least tea-party), especially since it is being screened in 3D (and even IMax!) on many screens. Burton also looks to have infused this with his signature dark sense of humour which I think will translate wonderfully to the dreamlike logic of Carroll's original intent.

Mao's Last Dancer - True story of Li Cunxin and his rise from folk dancing in rural China to his explosion on the scene as one of the greatest Chinese male ballerinas of all time. His auto-biography on which this is based is, by all reports, a fascinating rags-to-riches story and this cinematic adaptation looks richly shot and quite meditative. If you hold any interest in ballet, Chinese history or culture, go see it.

Herzog reads Madeline

There seems to be something creepy about legendary film-maker Werner Herzog reading Roald Dahl's classic Madeline. Creepy and cool...

Ash In Clay

Some of us in the office are quite big fans of Sam Raimi's original horror-comedy epic The Evil Dead. This homemade extremely abridged claymation is one of the best tributes we've seen!

Evil Dead done in 60 seconds with CLAY - 2010 from Lee Hardcastle on Vimeo.