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Recently, in Boston, I was feeling untethered & very far from the place I belong. It was the day Te Whare Tīwekaweka was released and as my bus drove through the city drizzle I selected Kāhore He Manu E (feat. Lorde) to listen to. There I was, quietly wiping tears (because it's so freaking beautiful) and felt more connected than I had in days.

Lucky enough to see this at the premiere in the gorgeous Civic Theatre with the film-makers, Marlon Williams, local iwi and whanau in the house.

Watched on Sunday March 9, 2025.

As an ex-Christchurch girl who loves music, who performed multiple times in that bloody magnificent town hall, & went to a (public) school a bit too much like the one in the movie, & then had her eyes opened to Samoan culture through teaching, this movie made me have some big feelings. The tough stuff here is dealt with tenderness, humour & the odd kick up the bum. 

We were very privileged to be at the Aotearoa premier - amazing audience & location. To be part of something!

Don’t come at me with anything but positives otherwise I’ll put you to sleep in a hallway.

Watched on Sunday January 26, 2025.

✊ cheese! ✊

😥

Watched on Tuesday January 14, 2025.

All sense of good taste is out the window on Christmas so who’s to say whether this is good or not?

I did literally lol several times. I had to stop before I became hysterical

Having Robbie Williams as a monkey is a crazy idea but reminds us just how human he is.

Watched on Wednesday November 13, 2024.

Two of the most charismatic actors in Hollywood & this film still moved like cold porridge.

Silly gory fun with sheep.

A friend is a friend is a friend

I don’t know how to describe how emotional this film made me as a Christchurch native. Warren & Mahoney’s architecture informs me to this day.

I’ve really enjoyed the first Beetlejuice on many an occasion & it was one of the older films that our kids seemed to enjoy when we shared it as a family. Having said that, I was ambivalent about the sequel & didn't hold out much hope for it.

All the stuff you expect from Tim Burton (& Danny Elfman) is here as a matter of course so the extension of Beetlejuice world feels natural. The after-world looks like the after-world you expect but you get to explore new spaces within it which is fun. 

What did surprise & delight me was the nod to other horror elements from roughly the same era as the original e.g. Evil Dead, Trainspotting, The Sixth Sense or earlier, such as The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Even the “it was all a dream” trope appears! I’m sure there’s more stylistic cameos that I’m missing??

To be honest, we could have done with one less storyline (unfortunately it should’ve been Monica Bellucci‘s) & it would’ve wonderful if Catherine O’Hara had been allowed to get out of first gear. Jenna Ortega was a welcome addition & Justin Theroux was dope!

Perfectly captures the excitement & dread of growing up as a teenage girl in the 1990s.

Came home to an email from my 81 year old mother (who is traveling independently in Europe) enjoying a beer at lunch at the highest brewery in . 

This movie is sweet and has the right ratio of funny to poignant moments. The relationship between grandmother & grandson as they try to find their way in an ambivalent world is a highlight.

Dan Steven’s is a very good android companion but the film didn’t fulfil the promise of the premise or provide any special insights. 

Good for listening practice beyond Duolingo, my own little English-German computer companion.

Watched on Sunday August 11, 2024.

Glenn Powell coming out the house in a white t-shirt as the rain started could be the disaster-flick equivalent of Colin Firth emerging from the pond.

Do I want to travel to Miami? No. 
Am I happy to spend time there with these guys? Sure!

Don’t think too hard. It ain’t that deep.

I’m much softer (metaphorically & literally!) than 30 years ago. It was nice to block out the nasty violence but I definitely laughed more than back then. Back then I was “be cool hunny bunny” but now I’ve got character. 

Memorable performances by Samuel L Jackson, John Travolta, Bruce Willis & Christopher Walken. And look kids! There’s Maya Hawke’s Mum being cool AF. 

Soundtrack? *chef’s kiss*

So many movies still trying to be this cool.

How much more farrrrkin Australian can it get? Sun. Sand. Burnt flesh. 

I’m going to put on Better The Devil You Know by Kylie & role-play.

Don’t come at me right now.

Furiosa is one of them fang girlies

Zendaya is a 👏movie👏star👏 but Patrick & Art should ditch that chick

Beautiful locations (high five to the location scout) & cinematography. Lovely performances has me snickering & hiding behind my fingers in equal measure.

One of the better transits thru LAX I’ve experienced.

Anne Hathaway is perfect but it really leans into its fan-ficcy origins in the third act. Just let them have a thing that’s beautiful & fleeting.

A paper-thin plot that still has lots of fun action & extremely watchable leads. 

🪂💔🤯⚡️❤️☕️🚗❤️👍🔥🧨🔫💥💫✨❤️

There’s something here about a mid teen learning they have agency which could have been charming & poignant with the previous generations of ‘Busters to share their wisdom. But no. It’s like wheeling out Evgeni Plushenko for the Sochi Winter Olympics. He’s amazing but let the dude retire.

Watched on Saturday March 23, 2024.

More sweary women-led stories please. 

And f**k that c**k-s**king piece of s**t that it Edith’s father. He can f**k right orf.

A four-to-the-floor fantasy adventure that hits most of the right notes.

A long time to wait for Elvis to fight Wonka.

Watched two time stories with Washington men in them already this year. What is this? Deja vu?

A Tab A into Slot B type of sex-positive caper. Had me giggling as I left the cinema & goodness knows how long that’s been!

Austin Butler reminded me unnervingly of a young John Travolta. 

And that Tom Hanks performance… a rare misstep. 

I haven’t seen Priscilla yet but this makes an interesting companion piece to the Britney book. 

Careful what you wish for folks.

I feel bad for not rating this 5 stars but ultimately I was left frustrated. Ironic, really.

Watched on Sunday January 21, 2024.

smh

kids these days

Watched on Saturday January 13, 2024.

It’d take a hell of a magic trick to turn this into something watchable.

1990s Winona Ryder & Ethan Hawke are hot. I had that haircut.

Drop a couple of magnesiums about half an hour before this & wait for it to kick in.  It’ll be amazing.

A perfect end-of-summer holiday plane film.

Poor Sydney Sweeney - her poorly fitted bikini tops did her no favors. Lemme tell you, if the back of your bra/bikini is riding up you need a smaller back size & go up in the cup. C’mon people! It’s basics. 

I guess, if you’re concerned about costuming you can surmise that it’s not a terribly successful film…  having said that, the two leads are very good looking, the location is pretty & it’s always a good day getting to laugh at Australians.

Sublime!

Ryan Gosling is a national treasure. 

Though I could have done with fewer LOTR- style endings

A pretty boring movie about an interesting & elusive man

So hot right now

Let's just accept that _all_ ice skating movies are cheesy, okay?

*this list does not include all wintry romcoms that have that almost obligatory skating-in-Central-Park scene

• Blades of Glory
• Ice Princess
• The Cutting Edge
• The Cutting Edge: Chasing the Dream
• Mystery, Alaska
• Slap Shot
• Youngblood
• The Mighty Ducks
• Ice Castles
• Go Figure

...plus 14 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

• Amy
• Best of Enemies
• The Brand New Testament
• Cartel Land
• The Diary of a Teenage Girl
• Dope
• Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief
• Grandma
• Inherent Vice
• Lambert & Stamp

...plus 24 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

The family is doing a trip through San Francisco, London, south of , Paris and Tokyo later this year. This is a list of films we should watch that are made in, or about, some of these locations.

Suggestions very welcome.

• Marie Antoinette
• Blade Runner
• Blow-Up
• The King's Speech
• Ratatouille
• Hugo
• Moulin Rouge!
• Before Sunset
• Notting Hill
• Four Weddings and a Funeral

...plus 30 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

A list of films to accompany a trip to Los Angeles in April. Let's scratch the surface.

Suggestions welcome.

• Nightcrawler
• Less Than Zero
• Speed
• Swingers
• Training Day
• Mulholland Drive
• The Big Lebowski
• Repo Man
• Clueless
• Boyz n the Hood

...plus 13 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

My wish list from NZIFF 2014

• Paris Follies
• 20,000 Days on Earth
• Jimmy's Hall
• The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness
• The Armstrong Lie
• Particle Fever
• Frank
• Pulp: a Film About Life, Death & Supermarkets
• Maps to the Stars
• The Tale of The Princess Kaguya

...plus 8 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

It's getting warm enough to hang out in the backyard again and watch movies together. Suggestions welcome! Dates to be confirmed.

1. The Italian Job
2. Dazed and Confused

   Last day before summer break - perfect!

3. The Princess Bride
4. Revenge of the Nerds
5. Pitch Perfect

Let's kick off autumn properly! We are going to host an outdoor cinema evening at our place on Friday 8th March. Bring something to barbecue, something to sit on and come hang out from 7pm. Movie to start after sunset.

Let me know which of the following selection you would be keen to watch.

• Commando
• Ferris Bueller's Day Off
• The Last Starfighter
• The Breakfast Club
• Starship Troopers
• The Princess Bride

Films we've watched with the kids outside beside the fire.

• The Dark Crystal
• The Wizard of Oz
• Star Wars
• My Neighbor Totoro

Films I'm interested in seeing this year at the NZFF.

• Bernie
• Moonrise Kingdom
• The Sapphires
• No
• From Up on Poppy Hill
• Farewell, My Queen
• Where Do We Go Now?
• The Angels' Share
• On the Road
• Side by Side

...plus 5 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

I've had enough of these ditzy princesses and fainting damsels in distress. Where are the strong female role models for our 4.5yr old girl? Please add your (age appropriate) ideas below!

• Tinker Bell
• Brave
• Mulan
• Alice in Wonderland
• Mary Poppins

I love a good dance sequence! Please make some suggestions - they may be movies about dancing or just have one classic sequence in them e.g. Pulp Fiction.

• Bride & Prejudice
• Scent of a Woman
• (500) Days of Summer
• The Blues Brothers
• Honey
• Risky Business
• Hairspray
• Strictly Ballroom
• Grease
• Pulp Fiction

...plus 4 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. Toy Story
2. Toy Story 2
3. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
4. Pinocchio
5. Bambi
6. Thomas & Friends: Misty Island Rescue
7. Rio
8. Tinker Bell
9. Dumbo
10. Curious George