Fitting in has never been easy for Josh Waaka (Julian Dennison) as a Brown young man in an almost all-white New Zealand Christian school. Things were easier for his father (now deceased) and older brother Jamie (James Rolleston) when they were rugby stars who helped it lift championship trophies. And if anyone knows anything about private institutions such as this, they take care of their own as long as their “own” have earned it by doing the same. That’s not to say Jamie and their dad were cowards or traitors or anything like that––they were rugby players who loved the game amidst influential people who loved it too. Josh was just thrown in as a package deal.
At the start of Paul Middleditch and Hamish Bennett’s Uproar begins––the script’s evolution is all over the place: Bennett co-writing alongside Sonia Whiteman, all three getting a “story by” label,...
At the start of Paul Middleditch and Hamish Bennett’s Uproar begins––the script’s evolution is all over the place: Bennett co-writing alongside Sonia Whiteman, all three getting a “story by” label,...
- 9/14/2023
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
"It's hard if you can't do the thing that makes you you." Blue Fox Entertainment has revealed an official trailer for a film from New Zealand titled Uproar, based on a true story. Premiering at the 2023 Toronto Film Festival next month, playing in the Special Presentations section. "Julian Dennison delivers another charismatic performance in a witty and wise story about a young student trying to find his place among New Zealand’s fight for its national identity." In 1981 New Zealand, 17-year-old Josh Waaka navigates rugby-centric St Gilbert’s College. Amidst the South African Springboks' tour and national protests, he embraces acting and Māori heritage. Josh faces a choice: conform or stand up for family, future, and identity. Uproar is his heartwarming journey against a nation's struggle against racism. Dennison stars as Josh, joined by Minnie Driver, James Rolleston, Rhys Darby, Craig Hall, Mark Mitchinson, and Erana James. Keep an eye...
- 8/14/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
US theatrical release set for March 3.
Blue Fox has come on board to sell worldwide rights on the crime thriller What We Do Next starring Corey Stoll and will launch sales talks at EFM this week.
Stephen Belber (Match starring Patrick Stewart) wrote and directed the completed feature, which also stars Karen Pittman (The Morning Show) and Michelle Veintimilla (Gotham) and gets a US theatrical release on March 3 via Small Batch Studio Entertainment.
What We Do Next centres on a New York City politician (Pittman) climbing the political ladder who is forced to navigate her complicated past with a young...
Blue Fox has come on board to sell worldwide rights on the crime thriller What We Do Next starring Corey Stoll and will launch sales talks at EFM this week.
Stephen Belber (Match starring Patrick Stewart) wrote and directed the completed feature, which also stars Karen Pittman (The Morning Show) and Michelle Veintimilla (Gotham) and gets a US theatrical release on March 3 via Small Batch Studio Entertainment.
What We Do Next centres on a New York City politician (Pittman) climbing the political ladder who is forced to navigate her complicated past with a young...
- 2/13/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
New arrival will serve as vice president of international sales.
LA-based sales, financing and distribution company Blue Fox Entertainment has hired Kalani Dreimanis as vice president of international sales ahead of the EFM later this month.
Dreimanis arrives from Epic Pictures and will work closely with Blue Fox Entertainment founder James Huntsman, head of international Lisa Gutberlet, and head of worldwide marketing and distribution Audrey Delaney.
“We are thrilled to have Kalani join the Blue Fox team. She comes with a tremendous amount of experience,” said Gutberlet. “She is highly regarded among buyers, producers, and agents and has a great...
LA-based sales, financing and distribution company Blue Fox Entertainment has hired Kalani Dreimanis as vice president of international sales ahead of the EFM later this month.
Dreimanis arrives from Epic Pictures and will work closely with Blue Fox Entertainment founder James Huntsman, head of international Lisa Gutberlet, and head of worldwide marketing and distribution Audrey Delaney.
“We are thrilled to have Kalani join the Blue Fox team. She comes with a tremendous amount of experience,” said Gutberlet. “She is highly regarded among buyers, producers, and agents and has a great...
- 2/1/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Blue Fox Entertainment is launching worldwide sales at the American Film Market on two new slasher features that complete its “Butchers Trilogy” horror project.
The global film sales and U.S. domestic distributor has greenlit production on “Butchers Book Three: Bonesaw,”which is due to go into production this fall in Canada. The second title in the trilogy, “Butchers Book Two: Raghorn,” is currently in post-production.
Blue Fox will debut first-look footage of “Raghorn” for buyers at the Santa Monica market, whilst handling worldwide sales on all three films.
The trilogy is being produced and distributed through Blue Fox’s Red Hound Entertainment label. Grimehouse and NW9 Productions are also producing.
“Most Hollywood producers can only dream about creating a top notch trilogy that will entertain fans around the world. Together with Adrian and Doug, we have done just that,” said Blue Fox’s James Huntsman.
Written and directed by Grimehouse’s Adrian Langley,...
The global film sales and U.S. domestic distributor has greenlit production on “Butchers Book Three: Bonesaw,”which is due to go into production this fall in Canada. The second title in the trilogy, “Butchers Book Two: Raghorn,” is currently in post-production.
Blue Fox will debut first-look footage of “Raghorn” for buyers at the Santa Monica market, whilst handling worldwide sales on all three films.
The trilogy is being produced and distributed through Blue Fox’s Red Hound Entertainment label. Grimehouse and NW9 Productions are also producing.
“Most Hollywood producers can only dream about creating a top notch trilogy that will entertain fans around the world. Together with Adrian and Doug, we have done just that,” said Blue Fox’s James Huntsman.
Written and directed by Grimehouse’s Adrian Langley,...
- 10/28/2022
- by Liza Foreman
- Variety Film + TV
Uplifting drama about recovering war veterans partnered with US Marine Corps Entertainment Media Liaison Office, US Department of Defense.
Blue Fox Entertainment will kick off international sales talks at AFM on the uplifting drama Mending The Line starring Succession’s Brian Cox alongside Sinqua Walls and Patricia Heaton.
Joshua Caldwell (Infamous) directed the drama about a young soldier (Walls) returned from Afghanistan who befriends a Vietnam War veteran (Cox) at the same medical facility who teaches him fly fishing as a way of dealing with physical and emotional trauma.
Stephen Camelio (The Push) wrote the screenplay and Perry Mattfeld and...
Blue Fox Entertainment will kick off international sales talks at AFM on the uplifting drama Mending The Line starring Succession’s Brian Cox alongside Sinqua Walls and Patricia Heaton.
Joshua Caldwell (Infamous) directed the drama about a young soldier (Walls) returned from Afghanistan who befriends a Vietnam War veteran (Cox) at the same medical facility who teaches him fly fishing as a way of dealing with physical and emotional trauma.
Stephen Camelio (The Push) wrote the screenplay and Perry Mattfeld and...
- 10/25/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Uplifting drama about recovering war veterans partnered with US Marine Corps Entertainment Media Liaison Office, US Department of Defense.
Blue Fox Entertainment will kick off international sales talks at AFM on the uplifting drama Mending The Line starring Succession’s Brian Cox alongside Sinqua Walls and Patricia Heaton.
Joshua Caldwell (Infamous) directed the drama about a young soldier (Walls) returned from Afghanistan who befriends a Vietnam War veteran (Cox) at the same medical facility who teaches him fly fishing as a way of dealing with physical and emotional trauma.
Stephen Camelio (The Push) wrote the screenplay and Perry Mattfeld and...
Blue Fox Entertainment will kick off international sales talks at AFM on the uplifting drama Mending The Line starring Succession’s Brian Cox alongside Sinqua Walls and Patricia Heaton.
Joshua Caldwell (Infamous) directed the drama about a young soldier (Walls) returned from Afghanistan who befriends a Vietnam War veteran (Cox) at the same medical facility who teaches him fly fishing as a way of dealing with physical and emotional trauma.
Stephen Camelio (The Push) wrote the screenplay and Perry Mattfeld and...
- 10/25/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Julian Dennison and Minnie Driver lead cast.
Principal photography is underway on the coming-of-age film One Winter featuring a cast led by Julian Dennison and Minnie Driver. Blue Fox Entertainment will present first footage to buyers at the AFM.
Rhys Darby, James Rolleston and Erana James round out the key cast on the story set in Aotearoa, New Zealand, in 1981 as the arrival of the South African rugby team sets off nationwide protests against Apartheid.
Dennison plays Josh Waaka, a 17-year-old who after being a passive bystander all of his life, is suddenly forced to stand up for himself, his family and his future.
Principal photography is underway on the coming-of-age film One Winter featuring a cast led by Julian Dennison and Minnie Driver. Blue Fox Entertainment will present first footage to buyers at the AFM.
Rhys Darby, James Rolleston and Erana James round out the key cast on the story set in Aotearoa, New Zealand, in 1981 as the arrival of the South African rugby team sets off nationwide protests against Apartheid.
Dennison plays Josh Waaka, a 17-year-old who after being a passive bystander all of his life, is suddenly forced to stand up for himself, his family and his future.
- 10/13/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Global film sales agency and U.S. domestic distributor Blue Fox Entertainment has announced that production has wrapped on family comedy “Popular Theory,” starring Cheryl Hines (“Curb Your Enthusiasm”), Marc Evan Jackson (“The Good Place”), Sophia Reid-Gantzert (“The Baby-Sitters Club”), Lincoln Lambert (“Nope”), and Chloe East (“The Fabelmans”).
Century City-based Blue Fox Entertainment is handling worldwide sales and will release the film theatrically in the U.S. in 2023, the company said in a statement.
“Popular Theory” is a coming-of-age comedy that plumbs the complexities of companionship and ambition.
In the film, Erwin (Reid-Gantzert) is a 12-year-old girl genius completely out of sorts as the youngest student in high school. She’s faced with only one problem she can’t solve: Social isolation. With fellow outcast and chemistry guru Winston (Lambert), the duo team up to invent a chemical that will change the high school hierarchy forever.
“Popular Theory” is directed...
Century City-based Blue Fox Entertainment is handling worldwide sales and will release the film theatrically in the U.S. in 2023, the company said in a statement.
“Popular Theory” is a coming-of-age comedy that plumbs the complexities of companionship and ambition.
In the film, Erwin (Reid-Gantzert) is a 12-year-old girl genius completely out of sorts as the youngest student in high school. She’s faced with only one problem she can’t solve: Social isolation. With fellow outcast and chemistry guru Winston (Lambert), the duo team up to invent a chemical that will change the high school hierarchy forever.
“Popular Theory” is directed...
- 9/1/2022
- by Emiliano De Pablos
- Variety Film + TV
(Welcome to The Daily Stream, an ongoing series in which the /Film team shares what they've been watching, why it's worth checking out, and where you can stream it.)
The Movie: "Boy"
Where You Can Stream It: Kanopy, Hoopla, SundanceNow, Showtime
The Pitch: In 1980s New Zealand, an 11-year-old Maori kid nicknamed Boy (James Rolleston), lives in a small town where his auntie holds half the jobs. Boy's life with his Gran and brother Rocky (Te Aho Eketone-Whitu) is tinged with sadness and strife, but the sweet kid has an active imagination (and undying love for Michael Jackson) that keeps him positive. While...
The post The Daily Stream: Boy is a Creative, Beautiful, Bittersweet Coming-of-Age Story appeared first on /Film.
The Movie: "Boy"
Where You Can Stream It: Kanopy, Hoopla, SundanceNow, Showtime
The Pitch: In 1980s New Zealand, an 11-year-old Maori kid nicknamed Boy (James Rolleston), lives in a small town where his auntie holds half the jobs. Boy's life with his Gran and brother Rocky (Te Aho Eketone-Whitu) is tinged with sadness and strife, but the sweet kid has an active imagination (and undying love for Michael Jackson) that keeps him positive. While...
The post The Daily Stream: Boy is a Creative, Beautiful, Bittersweet Coming-of-Age Story appeared first on /Film.
- 5/31/2022
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
Blue Fox Entertainment has acquired worldwide rights to “Unexpected,” an offbeat comedy starring Anna Camp, Joseph Mazzello, Neil Flynn and Ryann Shane. The movie is currently in post-production. Blue Fox Entertainment will distribute the film in North America and launched worldwide sales in Cannes.
“Unexpected” centers around music critic Bob, who is struggling with a demotion, addicted to Zoloft and trying to wrangle the menagerie of animals that his wife Amy has accumulated.They face a crossroads. Will adopting a baby cure their existential angst? Or should they rescue another duck?
Camp’s credits include “Pitch Perfect” and “The Lovebirds.” Mazzello has appeared in “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “The Social Network.” Flynn’s resume includes “The Middle” and “Scrubs.” Shane has appeared in “Banshee.” The movie is directed by David Hunt, an actor who has appeared in “Homeland” and “Mad Men,” and was written by Rodney Vaccaro.
Patricia Heaton, of “Everybody Loves Raymond” and “The Middle,...
“Unexpected” centers around music critic Bob, who is struggling with a demotion, addicted to Zoloft and trying to wrangle the menagerie of animals that his wife Amy has accumulated.They face a crossroads. Will adopting a baby cure their existential angst? Or should they rescue another duck?
Camp’s credits include “Pitch Perfect” and “The Lovebirds.” Mazzello has appeared in “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “The Social Network.” Flynn’s resume includes “The Middle” and “Scrubs.” Shane has appeared in “Banshee.” The movie is directed by David Hunt, an actor who has appeared in “Homeland” and “Mad Men,” and was written by Rodney Vaccaro.
Patricia Heaton, of “Everybody Loves Raymond” and “The Middle,...
- 5/20/2022
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Taraneh Alidoosti’s drama centres on a domestic violence survivor who bids to become an endurance swim record-holder.
LA-based Blue Fox Entertainment has added Sahar Mosayebi’s real-life Iranian swimmer drama Orca and to its growing Cannes sales.
The Iranian drama follows a woman who survives a horrific attack by her estranged husband and finds solace as an endurance swimmer, eventually overcoming political and religious hurdles in a bid to swim further than anyone has done before with her hands bound. Taraneh Alidoosti, whose credits include The Salesman, stars with Mahtab Keramati star.
Tala Motazedi wrote the Orca screenplay and Tahoora Abolghassemi,...
LA-based Blue Fox Entertainment has added Sahar Mosayebi’s real-life Iranian swimmer drama Orca and to its growing Cannes sales.
The Iranian drama follows a woman who survives a horrific attack by her estranged husband and finds solace as an endurance swimmer, eventually overcoming political and religious hurdles in a bid to swim further than anyone has done before with her hands bound. Taraneh Alidoosti, whose credits include The Salesman, stars with Mahtab Keramati star.
Tala Motazedi wrote the Orca screenplay and Tahoora Abolghassemi,...
- 5/20/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
‘One Winter’ is directed by Paul Middleditch and Hamish Bennett.
Julian Dennison and Minnie Driver are set to star in coming-of-age film One Winter. Blue Fox Entertainment is handling international sales and will introduce the film in Cannes.
Principal photography begins this Summer in New Zealand, where the film is set.
One Winter is directed by Paul Middleditch and Hamish Bennett (Bellbird). James Rolleston and Erna James also star.
In 1961, the arrival of a South African rugby team sets off nationwide protests against apartheid and racism. Dennision, best known for Hunt For The Wilderpeople, plays Josh Waaka, a 17-year-old who...
Julian Dennison and Minnie Driver are set to star in coming-of-age film One Winter. Blue Fox Entertainment is handling international sales and will introduce the film in Cannes.
Principal photography begins this Summer in New Zealand, where the film is set.
One Winter is directed by Paul Middleditch and Hamish Bennett (Bellbird). James Rolleston and Erna James also star.
In 1961, the arrival of a South African rugby team sets off nationwide protests against apartheid and racism. Dennision, best known for Hunt For The Wilderpeople, plays Josh Waaka, a 17-year-old who...
- 5/18/2022
- by Ellie Calnan
- ScreenDaily
Screen is rounding up the key packages launched before and during this year’s Cannes Marche du Film (which runs May 17-25).
Screen is rounding up the key packages launched before and during this year’s Cannes Marche du Film (which runs May 17-25).
Refresh the page for latest updates.
May 18 Stone Mattress
Julianne Moore and Sandra Oh have signed on to star in Lynne Ramsey’s new thriller. The project is based on a short story by Margaret Atwood and is produced by John Lesher and JoAnne Sellar. Amazon are handling domestic rights. Studiocanal and Film4 are in final negotiations to board the project.
Screen is rounding up the key packages launched before and during this year’s Cannes Marche du Film (which runs May 17-25).
Refresh the page for latest updates.
May 18 Stone Mattress
Julianne Moore and Sandra Oh have signed on to star in Lynne Ramsey’s new thriller. The project is based on a short story by Margaret Atwood and is produced by John Lesher and JoAnne Sellar. Amazon are handling domestic rights. Studiocanal and Film4 are in final negotiations to board the project.
- 5/18/2022
- by Screen staff
- ScreenDaily
Julian Dennison (Godzilla vs Kong), Minnie Driver, James Rolleston (The Dark Horse) and Erana James are set to star in New Zealand coming-of-age tale One Winter from directors Paul Middleditch and Hamish Bennett.
The title is based on a story by Middleditch, Keith Aberdein and Sonia Whiteman, with Bennett and Whiteman adapting the screenplay. Story is set in New Zealand in 1981 when the arrival of the South African rugby team sets off nationwide protests against apartheid and racism. Josh Waaka (Dennison), a 17-year-old boy of mixed race who has been a passive bystander all of his life, is suddenly forced to stand up for himself, his family and his future.
The film, which is set to begin shooting this summer in New Zealand, is produced by Emma Slade, Sandra Kailahi, Angela Cudd, Angela Sullivan and Alberto Marzan. Troy Lum is an exec producer. Blue Fox is launching international sales here in Cannes this week.
The title is based on a story by Middleditch, Keith Aberdein and Sonia Whiteman, with Bennett and Whiteman adapting the screenplay. Story is set in New Zealand in 1981 when the arrival of the South African rugby team sets off nationwide protests against apartheid and racism. Josh Waaka (Dennison), a 17-year-old boy of mixed race who has been a passive bystander all of his life, is suddenly forced to stand up for himself, his family and his future.
The film, which is set to begin shooting this summer in New Zealand, is produced by Emma Slade, Sandra Kailahi, Angela Cudd, Angela Sullivan and Alberto Marzan. Troy Lum is an exec producer. Blue Fox is launching international sales here in Cannes this week.
- 5/17/2022
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
“Deadpool 2” star Julian Dennison is set to star in “One Winter,” a coming-of-age drama set in his native New Zealand during a period of racial unrest in the 1980s.
Dennison will lead a cast that also includes Minnie Driver, James Rolleston and Erana James and that is directed by Paul Middleditch and Hamish Bennett.
Blue Fox Entertainment is handling international sales and introducing the film in Cannes, which kicks off today.
Also Read:
‘Star Wars’ Series Inspired by ’80s Amblin Films in the Works From ‘Spider-Man’ Director Jon Watts
“One Winter” is set in New Zealand in 1981, when the arrival of the South African rugby team sets off nationwide protests against apartheid and racism. Josh Waaka (Dennison), a 17-year-old of mixed race who has been a passive bystander all his life, is suddenly forced to stand up for himself, his whānau/family, and his future.
The film is based on a story by Middleditch,...
Dennison will lead a cast that also includes Minnie Driver, James Rolleston and Erana James and that is directed by Paul Middleditch and Hamish Bennett.
Blue Fox Entertainment is handling international sales and introducing the film in Cannes, which kicks off today.
Also Read:
‘Star Wars’ Series Inspired by ’80s Amblin Films in the Works From ‘Spider-Man’ Director Jon Watts
“One Winter” is set in New Zealand in 1981, when the arrival of the South African rugby team sets off nationwide protests against apartheid and racism. Josh Waaka (Dennison), a 17-year-old of mixed race who has been a passive bystander all his life, is suddenly forced to stand up for himself, his whānau/family, and his future.
The film is based on a story by Middleditch,...
- 5/17/2022
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Exclusive: Cornerstone is heading to the virtual EFM with New Zealand drama Whina, which stars Siren, Once Were Warriors and Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones actress Rena Owen as revered Maori activist and female rights advocate Whina Cooper.
See an exclusive first look image of Owen as Cooper above.
Cornerstone will launch worldwide sales, excluding Australia/Nz, on the film which heralds from writer-directors James Napier Robertson, who directed 2014 festival favorite The Dark Horse, and Paula Whetu Jones (Waru).
Whina (pronounced fee-nah), will see Owen play the role of Cooper, the beloved Māori matriarch who worked tirelessly to improve the rights of her people, especially women. At nearly 80-years-old Cooper became nationally revered as the ‘Mother of The Nation’ when she led the first Māori Land March over 1,000 kilometers from Te Hapua in the Far North to Wellington at the bottom of the North Island of New...
See an exclusive first look image of Owen as Cooper above.
Cornerstone will launch worldwide sales, excluding Australia/Nz, on the film which heralds from writer-directors James Napier Robertson, who directed 2014 festival favorite The Dark Horse, and Paula Whetu Jones (Waru).
Whina (pronounced fee-nah), will see Owen play the role of Cooper, the beloved Māori matriarch who worked tirelessly to improve the rights of her people, especially women. At nearly 80-years-old Cooper became nationally revered as the ‘Mother of The Nation’ when she led the first Māori Land March over 1,000 kilometers from Te Hapua in the Far North to Wellington at the bottom of the North Island of New...
- 2/11/2021
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
It begins – doesn’t it always? – with a Mexican stand-off. A bar-full of low lifes pointing guns and growling across the room at one another. This is not going to end well. Though in case you couldn’t tell, an endearingly innocent voiceover from protagonist Freddy (James Rolleston), who takes woebegone to new heights, or maybe depths, says it all: “Have you ever had one of those days where everything just turns to shit?”
Uh huh. So Lowdown Dirty Criminals begins, Tarantino-style, at the end, with a climax and an instant flashback. How did we get here? And this is swiftly followed by a flashback within a flashback. Flashback squared.
It all begins when Freddy, as lowly pizza delivery boy, is stiffed by one of his clients. There must be more to life than this. So Freddy and best buddy Marv (Samuel Austin) sign up to run errands for local mobster-cum-psychopath Spiggs.
Uh huh. So Lowdown Dirty Criminals begins, Tarantino-style, at the end, with a climax and an instant flashback. How did we get here? And this is swiftly followed by a flashback within a flashback. Flashback squared.
It all begins when Freddy, as lowly pizza delivery boy, is stiffed by one of his clients. There must be more to life than this. So Freddy and best buddy Marv (Samuel Austin) sign up to run errands for local mobster-cum-psychopath Spiggs.
- 11/20/2020
- by Jane Fae
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
"You guys shot the wrong man, didn't you?!" Dark Star Films has debuted a new official US trailer for the New Zealand dark comedy called Lowdown Dirty Criminals, made by filmmaker Paul Murphy (Second Hand Wedding and Love Birds). This already opened in New Zealand & Australia a few months ago, and should make its way to America sooner than later. Two wannabe gangsters find themselves in a hilariously off-kilter predicament when a botched job leaves them the target of the underworld’s finest. It's closest in tone and style to Guy Ritchie's 1998 film Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, with a Kiwi edge. The film's ensemble cast includes James Rolleston, Samuel Austin, Scott Wills, Min Kim, Cohen Holloway, Robbie Magasiva, and Rebecca Gibney as "uber gangster The Upholsterer". A crime caper that tells the tale of two naïve young men searching for a better life... through crime. Ha ha.
- 10/26/2020
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
‘Tenet.’
Exhibitors are anticipating a blockbuster opening this Thursday, even with caps on seating capacity, for Christopher Nolan’s Tenet after a sizable turnout for paid previews last weekend.
Warner Bros’ international spy thriller starring John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Michael Caine and Kenneth Branagh played on more than 500 screens.
The distributor imposed a worldwide block on figures for the previews, which will be folded into the opening weekends in about 70 markets, but exhibitors’ feedback was highly positive.
Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace Gm Alex Temesvari tells If: “We were extremely happy with the weekend business, which met my high expectations. The Orpheum had its best trading weekend since reopening by a wide margin.”
The audience at his venue, which is operating at about 30 per cent capacity, spanned a wide demographic, from teenagers to seniors.
“We have extremely high hopes for Tenet’s release this Thursday and expect a...
Exhibitors are anticipating a blockbuster opening this Thursday, even with caps on seating capacity, for Christopher Nolan’s Tenet after a sizable turnout for paid previews last weekend.
Warner Bros’ international spy thriller starring John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Michael Caine and Kenneth Branagh played on more than 500 screens.
The distributor imposed a worldwide block on figures for the previews, which will be folded into the opening weekends in about 70 markets, but exhibitors’ feedback was highly positive.
Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace Gm Alex Temesvari tells If: “We were extremely happy with the weekend business, which met my high expectations. The Orpheum had its best trading weekend since reopening by a wide margin.”
The audience at his venue, which is operating at about 30 per cent capacity, spanned a wide demographic, from teenagers to seniors.
“We have extremely high hopes for Tenet’s release this Thursday and expect a...
- 8/24/2020
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
David Crow Feb 14, 2020
You want to have a Taika Waititi binge-watching party? We're here to help you gather up all the films...
Taika Waititi is an Oscar winner. Let’s say that again, one of the creative masterminds behind Flight of the Conchords, and the actor who gave voice to Korg in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has an Oscar for screenwriting—in a film where he played goofball imaginary Adolf Hitler, no less. The world’s a funny place isn’t it?
Yet it also has a habit of reminding you that a talent as electric (and eccentric) as Waititi is impossible to quantify as just one thing. To millions of fans, he might be the groovy directorial eye behind Thor: Ragnarok, yet he really is so much more. Whether you’re already a fan or a novice, here is where you can stream every movie Taika Waititi has directed.
You want to have a Taika Waititi binge-watching party? We're here to help you gather up all the films...
Taika Waititi is an Oscar winner. Let’s say that again, one of the creative masterminds behind Flight of the Conchords, and the actor who gave voice to Korg in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has an Oscar for screenwriting—in a film where he played goofball imaginary Adolf Hitler, no less. The world’s a funny place isn’t it?
Yet it also has a habit of reminding you that a talent as electric (and eccentric) as Waititi is impossible to quantify as just one thing. To millions of fans, he might be the groovy directorial eye behind Thor: Ragnarok, yet he really is so much more. Whether you’re already a fan or a novice, here is where you can stream every movie Taika Waititi has directed.
- 2/14/2020
- Den of Geek
Actor-writer-director Taika Waititi has graduated in recent years from being New Zealand’s indie wunderkind to a box-office blockbuster filmmaker whose celebrated comedy style transcends fandom and genre. You’d be hard-pressed to find a genuinely bad film in his filmography, so as we explore his six efforts behind the camera, take into consideration that, for the most part, we’re splitting hairs. He’s a singular talent who blends hard-hitting emotional storylines with whimsical gags so meticulously, it’s hard to believe he got away with it.
6. “Eagle vs. Shark” (2007)
Taika Waititi’s debut film is a low-key comedy about outcasts combating depression, but although Waititi seems sensitive to their plight, “Eagle vs. Shark” is frustratingly off balance. Loren Taylor stars as an introverted young woman with a crush on a socially awkward Jemaine Clement; she follows him to his hometown, where he plans to finally beat up his old high-school bully.
6. “Eagle vs. Shark” (2007)
Taika Waititi’s debut film is a low-key comedy about outcasts combating depression, but although Waititi seems sensitive to their plight, “Eagle vs. Shark” is frustratingly off balance. Loren Taylor stars as an introverted young woman with a crush on a socially awkward Jemaine Clement; she follows him to his hometown, where he plans to finally beat up his old high-school bully.
- 10/18/2019
- by William Bibbiani
- The Wrap
Zahra Newman, Thomas Ward and Sam Cotton.
After Josh Thomas’ Please Like Me ended after four seasons on the ABC, his co-writer and co-star Thomas Ward realised there was something lacking in his career.
Having spent the best part of six years in that “bubble,” Ward worried that he did not know any other producers.
So he introduced himself to a number of producers including – fortuitously for him – RevLover Films’ Martha Coleman. She told him she had optioned Ben Phillips’ blog and e-book Diary of an Uber Driver.
After reading the blog he says: “I really liked the idea of doing a show that explores a community, the intimacy that comes with Uber rides and the fact that the protagonist was the same age as me and from a similar background.”
So he prepared a pitch outlining how he would turn the blog into a half hour series and work-shopped...
After Josh Thomas’ Please Like Me ended after four seasons on the ABC, his co-writer and co-star Thomas Ward realised there was something lacking in his career.
Having spent the best part of six years in that “bubble,” Ward worried that he did not know any other producers.
So he introduced himself to a number of producers including – fortuitously for him – RevLover Films’ Martha Coleman. She told him she had optioned Ben Phillips’ blog and e-book Diary of an Uber Driver.
After reading the blog he says: “I really liked the idea of doing a show that explores a community, the intimacy that comes with Uber rides and the fact that the protagonist was the same age as me and from a similar background.”
So he prepared a pitch outlining how he would turn the blog into a half hour series and work-shopped...
- 7/18/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Screen reveals first-look picture from comedy caper.
Production has wrapped on the New Zealand Film Commission’s Lowdown Dirty Criminals starring Boy lead James Rolleston and Samuel Austin as Mpi Media Group prepares to launch talks with Cannes buyers this week.
The comedy caper (see first-look image) shot in Wellington and features some of New Zealand’s hottest talent, among them Robbie Magasiva, Rebecca Gibney (Packed To The Rafters) and Cohen Holloway (Hunt For The Wilderpeople).
Paul Murphy directs Lowdown Dirty Criminals, which tells the tale of two naïve young men who believe a life of crime will the keys to a better life.
Production has wrapped on the New Zealand Film Commission’s Lowdown Dirty Criminals starring Boy lead James Rolleston and Samuel Austin as Mpi Media Group prepares to launch talks with Cannes buyers this week.
The comedy caper (see first-look image) shot in Wellington and features some of New Zealand’s hottest talent, among them Robbie Magasiva, Rebecca Gibney (Packed To The Rafters) and Cohen Holloway (Hunt For The Wilderpeople).
Paul Murphy directs Lowdown Dirty Criminals, which tells the tale of two naïve young men who believe a life of crime will the keys to a better life.
- 5/12/2019
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
(L-r) Scott Wills, Cohen Holloway, Robbie Magasiva, Rebecca Gibney, James Rolleston, Min Kim and Samuel Austin (Photo credit: Sam Norman)
Director Paul Murphy’s Lowdown Dirty Criminals, a comedy crime caper about two naïve young men searching for a better life, is shooting in Wellington.
Scripted by David Brechin-Smith, the plot follows James Rolleston as Freddy and Toi Whakaari graduate Samuel Austin as Marvin, who believe a life of crime will provide them with the future they are seeking, or in their own words, setting them up with “monies and honeys.”
The ensemble cast includes Robbie Magasiva, Rebecca Gibney and Cohen Holloway (Hunt for the Wilderpeople.)
Robin Murphy and Sadie Wilson are producing for Lowdown Productions, with investment from the New Zealand Film Commission, Avalon Studios, Global Film Solutions and Hells Pizza. Catherine Fitzgerald is the Ep.
Monster Pictures will distribute in Australia and New Zealand. Mpi Media Group is handling international sales.
Director Paul Murphy’s Lowdown Dirty Criminals, a comedy crime caper about two naïve young men searching for a better life, is shooting in Wellington.
Scripted by David Brechin-Smith, the plot follows James Rolleston as Freddy and Toi Whakaari graduate Samuel Austin as Marvin, who believe a life of crime will provide them with the future they are seeking, or in their own words, setting them up with “monies and honeys.”
The ensemble cast includes Robbie Magasiva, Rebecca Gibney and Cohen Holloway (Hunt for the Wilderpeople.)
Robin Murphy and Sadie Wilson are producing for Lowdown Productions, with investment from the New Zealand Film Commission, Avalon Studios, Global Film Solutions and Hells Pizza. Catherine Fitzgerald is the Ep.
Monster Pictures will distribute in Australia and New Zealand. Mpi Media Group is handling international sales.
- 3/12/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
"You work for weak assholes who don't have the guys to talk to their partners!" "Yep." Netflix has unveiled an official trailer for a comedy from New Zealand titled The Breaker Upperers, which premiered at the SXSW Film Festival last year. Executive produced by Taika Waititi, the film is co-written and co-directed by the two women who star: Madeleine Sami and Jackie van Beek. The two play best friends who bonded when they were younger after finding out they were being two-timed by the same man. Together they create The Breaker Upperers, a small-time business helping couples break up for cash. The cast includes James Rolleston, Celia Pacquola, Ana Scotney, Rima Te Wiata, and Carl Bland. This does look hilarious, and it's an original concept these two came up with and have worked passionately on to make it really sing. Here's the official trailer for Madeleine Sami & Jackie van Beek's The Breaker Upperers,...
- 2/2/2019
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi’s early paean to the strength and resilience of kids is tender and funny
Now that New Zealand’s Taika Waititi has hit the big league directing Marvel’s Thor: Ragnarok, his second film, 2010’s Maori coming-of-age comedy Boy, is finally released in the UK. It’s a disarmingly lovely, big-hearted film, and hilarious in places.
Like Waititi’s 2016 indie hit Hunt for the Wilderpeople, it’s a paean to the strength and resilience of kids, though in its raw and less polished way it’s a little less corny. Set in 1984, Boy (James Rolleston) is a bright, full-of-beans 11-year-old with a lovely open face. Boy hero worships his dim-witted criminal dad (Waititi, giving a dynamite comic performance, like a biker Ali G, with a mullet and crap prison tattoos).
Continue reading...
Now that New Zealand’s Taika Waititi has hit the big league directing Marvel’s Thor: Ragnarok, his second film, 2010’s Maori coming-of-age comedy Boy, is finally released in the UK. It’s a disarmingly lovely, big-hearted film, and hilarious in places.
Like Waititi’s 2016 indie hit Hunt for the Wilderpeople, it’s a paean to the strength and resilience of kids, though in its raw and less polished way it’s a little less corny. Set in 1984, Boy (James Rolleston) is a bright, full-of-beans 11-year-old with a lovely open face. Boy hero worships his dim-witted criminal dad (Waititi, giving a dynamite comic performance, like a biker Ali G, with a mullet and crap prison tattoos).
Continue reading...
- 10/13/2017
- by Cath Clarke
- The Guardian - Film News
The Rehearsal, director Alison Maclean’s first feature since the 1999 Denis Johnson adaptation Jesus’ Son, is such a hodgepodge of arthouse references, arch distancing effects, and emotionally vacant wide-screen compositions that one could easily mistake it for an awkward debut film. James Rolleston stars as Stanley, a hunky first-year student at a prestigious New Zealand acting school who is encouraged by the combative, guru-like head instructor, Hannah (Kerry Fox), to develop a theater piece based on a local sex scandal that has engulfed the family of his underage girlfriend, Isolde (Ella Edward). Contrived as it may sound, this isn’t a bad premise. But every bit of inherent tension is dissipated by Maclean’s direction, which meanders from affectlessness to affectation, producing a blank mise en scène in which nothing behind or around the actors means anything, unless it literally says “Brecht” in big letters. The Rehearsal signifies and ...
- 7/6/2017
- by Ignatiy Vishnevetsky
- avclub.com
The Rehearsal Mongel International Director: Alison Maclean Written by: Alison Maclean, Emily Perkins based on Eleanor Catton’s novel “The Rehearsal” Cast: James Rolleston, Kerry Fox, Ella Edward, Rachel Roberts, Marlon Williams, Alice Englert, Kieran Charnock, Erroll Shand Screened at: Critics’ link, NYC, 6/24/17 Opens: July 7, 2017 As Michael Cart, a critic from Booklist notes […]
The post The Rehearsal Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post The Rehearsal Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 6/30/2017
- by Harvey Karten
- ShockYa
(l-r) James Rolleston and Dean O.Gorman.
Kiwi director Matt Murphy grew up helping out on shoots with his filmmaker father Geoff.
Geoff made his feature debut with Goodbye Pork Pie in the early 80s. Murphy the younger worked on the film as a teenager before embarking on his own career as a gaffer, an art director and finally a director himself, based out of Sydney but shooting commercials globally.
Murphy has now made his own feature debut — with Pork Pie, a remake of his father.s film in Australian cinemas May 4.
The director began writing the screenplay, his first, five years ago, and describes his early drafts as .a bit too Hollywood..
.I wrote bigger car chases, more fantastic stunts,. Murphy tells If. .And then I realized films are about the characters, about people and their journeys. You can have the biggest event ever but if it.s not...
Kiwi director Matt Murphy grew up helping out on shoots with his filmmaker father Geoff.
Geoff made his feature debut with Goodbye Pork Pie in the early 80s. Murphy the younger worked on the film as a teenager before embarking on his own career as a gaffer, an art director and finally a director himself, based out of Sydney but shooting commercials globally.
Murphy has now made his own feature debut — with Pork Pie, a remake of his father.s film in Australian cinemas May 4.
The director began writing the screenplay, his first, five years ago, and describes his early drafts as .a bit too Hollywood..
.I wrote bigger car chases, more fantastic stunts,. Murphy tells If. .And then I realized films are about the characters, about people and their journeys. You can have the biggest event ever but if it.s not...
- 5/3/2017
- by Harry Windsor
- IF.com.au
The Rehearsal.
Ghita Loebenstein is gearing up for another year of She Speaks First, the female-focused film series she founded in 2015..
The series, in which screenings of films made by women are followed by conversations about the space women occupy in cinema, most recently presented Athina Rachel Tsangari's Chevalier at Melbourne's Australian Centre for the Moving Image last October..
This Wednesday, She Speaks First returns to Acmi with a screening of New Zealand feature The Rehearsal, directed by Alison Maclean..
Afterwards, Maclean will appear via video-link from La to talk about her film. Kim Krejus, artistic director of 16th Street Actors Studio, will also join the conversation..
The Rehearsal is adapted from the novel by Booker Prize—winning Kiwi author Eleanor Catton (The Luminaries). Variety described the film, which premiered last year at Tiff, as "like Fame redone as a good movie"..
James Rolleston (Boy, The Dark Horse) plays Stanley,...
Ghita Loebenstein is gearing up for another year of She Speaks First, the female-focused film series she founded in 2015..
The series, in which screenings of films made by women are followed by conversations about the space women occupy in cinema, most recently presented Athina Rachel Tsangari's Chevalier at Melbourne's Australian Centre for the Moving Image last October..
This Wednesday, She Speaks First returns to Acmi with a screening of New Zealand feature The Rehearsal, directed by Alison Maclean..
Afterwards, Maclean will appear via video-link from La to talk about her film. Kim Krejus, artistic director of 16th Street Actors Studio, will also join the conversation..
The Rehearsal is adapted from the novel by Booker Prize—winning Kiwi author Eleanor Catton (The Luminaries). Variety described the film, which premiered last year at Tiff, as "like Fame redone as a good movie"..
James Rolleston (Boy, The Dark Horse) plays Stanley,...
- 1/16/2017
- by Harry Windsor
- IF.com.au
The Rehearsal is a youthful melodrama that becomes a bit too “mellow” during its elongated midsection of teenage irresponsibility. A soul-searching beginning and an applause-worth end sandwich a hefty helping of chewy, overdone archetypes reminiscent of every passable coming-of-age tale you’ve ever sat through. Filmmaker Alison Maclean does certain justice to Eleanor Catton’s source novelization, but it’s not exactly the poignant theater-culture showstopper that’d halt talent agents in their tracks. Familiarity and dry plotting by way of bad decisions are Maclean’s worst enemies, yet those more tolerant viewers should have no trouble sticking around for a rousing final act. The kids aren’t alright – but is anyone, really?
James Rolleston stars as Stanley, an aspiring actor who’s just beginning his first-year of specialty schooling. On a bus one day, he meets Isolde (Ella Edward), and they begin “dating.” Isolde is the sister of a...
James Rolleston stars as Stanley, an aspiring actor who’s just beginning his first-year of specialty schooling. On a bus one day, he meets Isolde (Ella Edward), and they begin “dating.” Isolde is the sister of a...
- 10/7/2016
- by Matt Donato
- We Got This Covered
The spirit of collaboration runs deep in Alison Maclean’s “The Rehearsal,” the filmmaker’s often ambitious and hearteningly daring big screen adaptation of Man Booker Prize-winning author Eleanor Catton’s first novel of the same name. Catton won the prestigious Booker for her latest novel — only her second! — “The Luminaries,” making her the youngest recipient of the storied book prize since its inception in 1969.
That Catton is so accomplished at such a young age speaks to the themes of “The Rehearsal,” which she wrote when she was just 21 as her Master’s thesis, which follows a teen girl dealing with the fallout from her older sister’s affair with a teacher at their high school, juxtaposed alongside the story of a group of drama students who later attempt to use the ensuing scandal as fodder for an important performance. The two stories and their respective characters mix and mingle in unexpected ways,...
That Catton is so accomplished at such a young age speaks to the themes of “The Rehearsal,” which she wrote when she was just 21 as her Master’s thesis, which follows a teen girl dealing with the fallout from her older sister’s affair with a teacher at their high school, juxtaposed alongside the story of a group of drama students who later attempt to use the ensuing scandal as fodder for an important performance. The two stories and their respective characters mix and mingle in unexpected ways,...
- 9/21/2016
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
After a 17-year hiatus from directing feature length films, Alison Maclean returns to the screen with The Rehearsal, an adaptation of Eleanor Catton‘s acclaimed 2008 novel. On its surface, it looks like other films in a specific, youthful sub-genre that rarely produces particularly insightful or interesting dramas. However, its visual precision elicits a unique mood that elevates the film from the normal, self-important teenage tale.
The most fascinating moments play out as we’re shown the inner workings of the fine arts academy that Maclean places us in. The Head of Acting, Hannah (played masterfully by Kerry Fox) commands a lot from her young students in terms of acting prowess and also building an intimate, familial environment in the institute. This is examined through intense and personal acting classes interspersed throughout the greater narrative. Maclean works with cinematographer Andrew Commis to make these scenes feel claustrophobic and weighty while also...
The most fascinating moments play out as we’re shown the inner workings of the fine arts academy that Maclean places us in. The Head of Acting, Hannah (played masterfully by Kerry Fox) commands a lot from her young students in terms of acting prowess and also building an intimate, familial environment in the institute. This is examined through intense and personal acting classes interspersed throughout the greater narrative. Maclean works with cinematographer Andrew Commis to make these scenes feel claustrophobic and weighty while also...
- 9/11/2016
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
“Based on the novel by Eleanor Catton” has become a much more marketable phrase in the three years since the New Zealand author won the Man Booker prize for “The Luminaries,” a marvel of an 848-page tome currently being adapted as a miniseries for BBC. Her first novel, “The Rehearsal,” has beaten her second to the screen courtesy of filmmaker Alison Maclean. Set at a prestigious drama school and frequently engrossing, the film unfolds like an experimental acting workshop that occasionally falters when the plot intrudes on the performances.
Both Catton and a hardcover copy of “The Luminaries” make brief cameos here, but the real star is James Rolleston. Familiar to anyone who’s seen “Boy” or “The Dark Horse,” he plays Stanley, a shy but talented thespian in the process of finding himself as both a person and a performer — making him the perfect candidate for the baptism-by-fire approach...
Both Catton and a hardcover copy of “The Luminaries” make brief cameos here, but the real star is James Rolleston. Familiar to anyone who’s seen “Boy” or “The Dark Horse,” he plays Stanley, a shy but talented thespian in the process of finding himself as both a person and a performer — making him the perfect candidate for the baptism-by-fire approach...
- 9/11/2016
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
Alison Maclean (Jesus’ Son) returns to her New Zealand filmmaking roots with a multilayered coming-of-age story about a young actor (James Rolleston) searching for the truth of a character he’s playing onstage and the resulting moral dilemma in his personal life. Set largely in a drama school, featuring Kerry Fox as a diva-like teacher who tries to shape her student’s raw talent, The Rehearsal, adapted from the novel by Eleanor Catton, demystifies actors and acting in order to reveal the moments where craft becomes art. The same happens with Maclean’s understated but penetrating filmmaking. Her concentration on the quotidian yields a finale that borders on the sublime. “The Rehearsal” was [ Read More ]
The post New York Film Festival 2016: The Rehearsal Gets A New Movie Trailer appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post New York Film Festival 2016: The Rehearsal Gets A New Movie Trailer appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 8/24/2016
- by Rudie Obias
- ShockYa
"So what happens here? And what can you do to minimize the damage?" The first trailer has arrived for a film playing at this year's Toronto Film Festival (Tiff) called The Rehearsal, from Canadian director Alison Maclean. It's a complex drama about a first-year acting student who "mines his girlfriend's family scandal as material for the end-of-year show at drama school." Yeah, that sounds a bit crazy, but this looks damn good. James Rolleston stars, along with Ella Edward, Alice Englert, Kerry Fox and Michelle Ny. I am expecting some exceptional performances from a film about acting, and from what I can tell, there will be plenty. The song featured in this is "Fragile" (McHncl Remix) by Maya Payne & Kabyn Walley. See below. Here's the first official trailer (+ poster) for Alison Maclean's The Rehearsal, direct from YouTube: Alison Maclean returns to her New Zealand filmmaking roots with a multilayered...
- 8/10/2016
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
The Nyff main slate largely consists of well-established and years-in-the-making auteurs, which inevitably means that the — note: I rather dislike this term, and especially when discussing a festival that does much to provide audiences with world cinema, so forgive me — “smaller” selections get a bit overshadowed, even if only on first glance. One such item that’s caught my eye is U.S. premiere The Rehearsal, the new film from Alison Maclean (Jesus’ Son) that adapts the debut novel by Eleanor Catton, a New Zealand author who’d go on to bigger things with her Man Booker-winning follow-up, The Luminaries.
But enough about “bigger” and “smaller.” The Rehearsal is a finely drawn, conceptually adventurous novel (in its theatrical focus, often reminiscent of Rivette) attuned to the many particulars feelings that come with entering a new school and trying to make something of yourself in light of others’ expectations — easy-to-connect-with, hard-to-translate...
But enough about “bigger” and “smaller.” The Rehearsal is a finely drawn, conceptually adventurous novel (in its theatrical focus, often reminiscent of Rivette) attuned to the many particulars feelings that come with entering a new school and trying to make something of yourself in light of others’ expectations — easy-to-connect-with, hard-to-translate...
- 8/9/2016
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
The 2016 New York Film Festival line-up has arrived, and as usual for the festival, it’s an amazing slate of films. Along with the previously announced The 13th, 20th Century Women, and The Lost City of Z, there’s two of our Sundance favorites, Manchester By the Sea and Certain Women, as well as the top films of Cannes: Elle, Paterson, Personal Shopper, Graduation, Julieta, I, Daniel Blake, Aquarius, Neruda, Sieranevada, Toni Erdmann, and Staying Vertical. As for other highlights, the latest films from Hong Sang-soo, Barry Jenkins, and Matías Piñeiro will also screen.
Check it out below, including our reviews where available.
The 13th (Opening Night, previously announced)
Directed by Ava DuVernay
USA, 2016
World Premiere
The title of Ava DuVernay’s extraordinary and galvanizing documentary refers to the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which reads “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted,...
Check it out below, including our reviews where available.
The 13th (Opening Night, previously announced)
Directed by Ava DuVernay
USA, 2016
World Premiere
The title of Ava DuVernay’s extraordinary and galvanizing documentary refers to the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which reads “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted,...
- 8/9/2016
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
“Boy” star James Rolleston has been seriously injured in a car crash on New Zealand’s North Island Tuesday night. The 19-year-old had to be cut out of the automobile he was driving after it hit a bridge on State Highway 35, near his hometown of Opotiki in the Bay of Plenty. He was airlifted to Tauranga Hospital and by Wednesday morning local time was awake and surrounded by friends, according to Newshub. Rolleston suffered a head injury and multiple fractures, while his passenger sustained minor injuries. Also Read: Tesla Owner Was Watching 'Harry Potter' During Autopilot Crash, Says Truck Driver “At the moment,...
- 7/27/2016
- by Debbie Emery
- The Wrap
Chicago – The narrow genre of chess movies (“Searching for Bobby Fischer,” “Pawn Sacrifice”) gets a New Zealand entry, the appropriately titled “The Dark Horse.” The film is a showcase for the performance of Cliff Curtis as the title character, abiding with mental instability and his own redemption.
Rating: 4.0/5.0
Cliff Curtis is notable because he takes what could have been a very showy or inert interpretation of mental illness, and brought a particular energy that exposed the trials of the character, based on a true life New Zealand chess champion (nicknamed the “Dark Horse”). He plays the role on the edge of nerve racking, which makes his assignment to bring a rag-tag bunch of ne’er do wells to a state chess tourney less precious, and more goal oriented. The story has both horrifying and charming moments, and oddly they work in tandem, and never clash.
Genesis (Curtis) has just been released from an institution,...
Rating: 4.0/5.0
Cliff Curtis is notable because he takes what could have been a very showy or inert interpretation of mental illness, and brought a particular energy that exposed the trials of the character, based on a true life New Zealand chess champion (nicknamed the “Dark Horse”). He plays the role on the edge of nerve racking, which makes his assignment to bring a rag-tag bunch of ne’er do wells to a state chess tourney less precious, and more goal oriented. The story has both horrifying and charming moments, and oddly they work in tandem, and never clash.
Genesis (Curtis) has just been released from an institution,...
- 4/19/2016
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Stars: James Rolleston, Lawrence Makoare, Te Kohe Tuhaka, Xavier Horan, Raukura Turei, George Henare, Rena Owen, Pana Hema Taylor, Calvin Tuteao, Jamus Webster, Bianca Hyslop, Isabella Rakete, Matariki Whatarau, Wairangi Koopu, Jeff Ruha | Written by Glenn Standring | Directed by Toa Fraser
Hongi (James Rolleston) – a Māori chieftain’s teenage son – must avenge his father’s murder in order to bring peace and honour to the souls of his loved ones after his tribe is slaughtered through an act of treachery. Vastly outnumbered by a band of villains, led by Wirepa (Te Kohe Tuhaka), Hongi’s only hope is to pass through the feared and forbidden Dead Lands and forge an uneasy alliance with the mysterious “Warrior” (Lawrence Makoare), a ruthless fighter who has ruled the area for years.
I actually found The Dead Lands really entertaining. Not only is the film filled to the brim with crazy Māori fight sequences which look brutal and realistic,...
Hongi (James Rolleston) – a Māori chieftain’s teenage son – must avenge his father’s murder in order to bring peace and honour to the souls of his loved ones after his tribe is slaughtered through an act of treachery. Vastly outnumbered by a band of villains, led by Wirepa (Te Kohe Tuhaka), Hongi’s only hope is to pass through the feared and forbidden Dead Lands and forge an uneasy alliance with the mysterious “Warrior” (Lawrence Makoare), a ruthless fighter who has ruled the area for years.
I actually found The Dead Lands really entertaining. Not only is the film filled to the brim with crazy Māori fight sequences which look brutal and realistic,...
- 6/8/2015
- by Richard Axtell
- Nerdly
“A powerful and gripping tale of revenge” and “A powerful and primal coming of age story that’s an absolute adrenaline rush” are just some of the words of praise Peter Jackson and James Cameron have respectively given "The Dead Lands." The three-time New Zealand Film And TV Award-winner is landing stateside, and today we have an exclusive look at the bloody opening sequence of the film. Read More: King Of The World: The Films Of James Cameron Directed by Toa Fraser, and starring James Rolleston, Lawrence Makoare, Te Kohe Tuhaka, Xavier Horan, George Henare, Raukura Turei, and Rena Owen, the story follows a Maori chieftain's teenage son who must avenge his father's murder in order to bring peace and honor to the souls of his loved ones after his tribe is slaughtered through an act of treachery. But it won't be easy going and this opening scene shows the...
- 4/24/2015
- by Edward Davis
- The Playlist
Welcome to the latest installment of Trailer Park, our (semi) regular look at the latest trailers to hit the interwebs. This weeks line-up features a bevy of the latest movie trailers including some of the most anticipateed Summer blockbusters and more, including: Terminator Genisys, Mad Max Fury Road, The Gallows, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Fantastic Four, The Visit, The Dead Lands, Monsters: Dark Continent, Mr. Holmes, Tomorrowland and Black Mass.
Terminator Genisys
When John Connor (Jason Clarke), leader of the human resistance, sends Sgt. Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) back to 1984 to protect Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke) and safeguard the future, an unexpected turn of events creates a fractured timeline. Now, Sgt. Reese finds himself in a new and unfamiliar version of the past, where he is faced with unlikely allies, including the Guardian (Arnold Schwarzenegger), dangerous new enemies, and an unexpected new mission: To reset the future…
Mad...
Terminator Genisys
When John Connor (Jason Clarke), leader of the human resistance, sends Sgt. Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) back to 1984 to protect Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke) and safeguard the future, an unexpected turn of events creates a fractured timeline. Now, Sgt. Reese finds himself in a new and unfamiliar version of the past, where he is faced with unlikely allies, including the Guardian (Arnold Schwarzenegger), dangerous new enemies, and an unexpected new mission: To reset the future…
Mad...
- 4/24/2015
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
One-of-a-kind action adventure film The Dead Lands is out in the UK in May. Here's a new trailer...
Here's an action film with a refreshingly different look and feel. Set in an unspecified time in New Zealand's history, it's about a young warrior (James Rolleston) and his search for the villains who killed his father and ransacked his village. The hero's journey takes him into the darkest reaches of the country, the Dead Lands of the film's title, where he encounters a fearsome, cannibalistic "monster" (Lawrence Makoare).
We caught The Dead Lands, directed by Toa Fraser, last year as part of the London Film Festival, and we were riveted by its otherworldly cinematography and brutally exciting fight scenes.
The Dead Lands has also been praised by the likes of James Cameron and Peter Jackson; Cameron described it as "far more than just a great action movie - it's great cinema.
Here's an action film with a refreshingly different look and feel. Set in an unspecified time in New Zealand's history, it's about a young warrior (James Rolleston) and his search for the villains who killed his father and ransacked his village. The hero's journey takes him into the darkest reaches of the country, the Dead Lands of the film's title, where he encounters a fearsome, cannibalistic "monster" (Lawrence Makoare).
We caught The Dead Lands, directed by Toa Fraser, last year as part of the London Film Festival, and we were riveted by its otherworldly cinematography and brutally exciting fight scenes.
The Dead Lands has also been praised by the likes of James Cameron and Peter Jackson; Cameron described it as "far more than just a great action movie - it's great cinema.
- 4/23/2015
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
What 300 does to project Sparta’s glorious lust for battle upon more civilized audiences, The Dead Lands intends to do for the native Maori culture of New Zealand. All the casting is locally sourced (something 300 might have flubbed a bit), lush and exotic locales call back to “simpler” times, and character motivations boil down to animalistic assertions of alpha dominance, which are the only matters that director Toa Fraser deals with. His film might as well be re-titled History Of The Bro Pt. 1, since Glenn Standring’s screenplay never reaches past a simple-as-pie revenge arc, but historical differences do their best to assert some sort of aboriginal individuality versus just any loin-cloth strapped imitator. Key words – “do their best.”
The Dead Lands tells the tale of a Maori teenager named Hongi (James Rolleston), who seeks revenge after most of his tribe is dishonorably slaughtered by rival warriors. Wirepa (Te Kohe Tuhaka...
The Dead Lands tells the tale of a Maori teenager named Hongi (James Rolleston), who seeks revenge after most of his tribe is dishonorably slaughtered by rival warriors. Wirepa (Te Kohe Tuhaka...
- 4/17/2015
- by Matt Donato
- We Got This Covered
World peace, even on a small scale, will never be achievable because there’s always some bastard craving the taste of blood. That’s the dilemma faced by Tane (George Henare) and his tribe who are hoping to make peace with their neighbors, but when that opposing chief’s son, Wirepa (Te Kohe Tuhaka), arrives with a squad of warriors in tow it’s clear that war is coming. Quite soon in fact as Wirepa and his men kill Tane and his people leaving only the women and the chief’s son alive. Young Hongi (James Rolleston) is no warrior — we know because we’re told this repeatedly — but as the last man standing from his tribe he sets out after Wirepa with revenge on his mind. He follows his prey into the Dead Lands, a dense section of the forest forbidden to trespassers and home to tales of a monster who eats human flesh, but...
- 4/17/2015
- by Rob Hunter
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Dead and Buried: Fraser’s Sumptuously Filmed, Familiar Revenge Drama
Premiering at the Toronto Film Festival and snagging the distinction of representing New Zealand as the official best foreign language selection in 2014, Toa Fraser’s The Dead Lands is the first film to be shot entirely in the Maori language and to be told entirely from their character perspective (and not in their relation to white characters). That the narrative is entirely derivative, and with a brutality that will put one, peripherally, in mind of Apocalypto (yes, that Mel Gibson about the Mayans) is sometimes easy to overlook considering the film’s vibrant palette. But as well intentioned as these honorable characterizations are intended in Glenn Strandring’s script, on film they are shapeless archetypes of good vs. evil in an endless cycle of violence brought to a wishful thinker’s fantastical resolution.
Wirepa (Te Kohe Tuhaka), the young leader of a bloodthirsty,...
Premiering at the Toronto Film Festival and snagging the distinction of representing New Zealand as the official best foreign language selection in 2014, Toa Fraser’s The Dead Lands is the first film to be shot entirely in the Maori language and to be told entirely from their character perspective (and not in their relation to white characters). That the narrative is entirely derivative, and with a brutality that will put one, peripherally, in mind of Apocalypto (yes, that Mel Gibson about the Mayans) is sometimes easy to overlook considering the film’s vibrant palette. But as well intentioned as these honorable characterizations are intended in Glenn Strandring’s script, on film they are shapeless archetypes of good vs. evil in an endless cycle of violence brought to a wishful thinker’s fantastical resolution.
Wirepa (Te Kohe Tuhaka), the young leader of a bloodthirsty,...
- 4/16/2015
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Like a Kiwi cousin to Mel Gibson's historical indigenous spectacle Apocalypto, director Toa Fraser's feral action epic drops viewers into the warring rivalries of Maori tribes (subtitled for your pleasure) in some indiscriminate, pre-colonial New Zealand. Chockablock with macho athleticism, a stylized variation on the ancient martial art mau rakau that implements short-handled paddles, and taunting tongue-flicks that would make Gene Simmons envious, the film is undeniably elevated by its exotic milieu. It's a shame, then, that it's stuck with such a familiar coming-of-age call to adventure: Falsely accused of desecrating ancestral remains by the duplicitous Wirepa (Te Kohe Tuhaka), unskilled chieftain's son Hongi (Boy's James Rolleston, now ...
- 4/15/2015
- Village Voice
Rick Grimes and and the living dead of Robert Kirkman's comic book world get a new look from artist Gilbert Hernandez in the Wizard World Las Vegas variant cover art for The Walking Dead #1. Also featured in our latest round-up are release details for The Lazarus Effect Blu-ray, as well as the trailer for The Dead Lands.
Variant Cover for The Walking Dead #1: Press Release - "Las Vegas, April 13, 2015 -- Wizard World, Inc. (Otcbb: Wizd) and Skybound, Robert Kirkman’s imprint at Image Comics, today announced that Love & Rockets creator Gilbert Hernandez has drawn the seventh in a yearlong series of Limited Edition Exclusive Variant Covers of The Walking Dead #1 comic, to be provided free to all full-price attendees at the inaugural Wizard World Comic Con Las Vegas, April 24-26. Skybound’s The Walking Dead created by Kirkman, the groundbreaking, Eisner Award winning comic book series, continues to captivate audiences worldwide.
Variant Cover for The Walking Dead #1: Press Release - "Las Vegas, April 13, 2015 -- Wizard World, Inc. (Otcbb: Wizd) and Skybound, Robert Kirkman’s imprint at Image Comics, today announced that Love & Rockets creator Gilbert Hernandez has drawn the seventh in a yearlong series of Limited Edition Exclusive Variant Covers of The Walking Dead #1 comic, to be provided free to all full-price attendees at the inaugural Wizard World Comic Con Las Vegas, April 24-26. Skybound’s The Walking Dead created by Kirkman, the groundbreaking, Eisner Award winning comic book series, continues to captivate audiences worldwide.
- 4/13/2015
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
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