Friday 29 March 2024

Late Night with the Devil: Movie Review

Late Night with the Devil: Movie Review

A genre film mixing pulp thrills and a recreation of a 70s late night talk show, Late Night with the Devil manages to be a canny extension of the found footage movie.

Late Night with the Devil: NZIFF Review

David Dastmalchian stars as late night host Jake Delroy, a "perennial also-ran" whose show Night Owls is continually running second to Johnny Carson. After his wife dies from cancer, Delroy begins plummeting further and so he plans a special Halloween outing for the show.

It may be gimmicky in parts, but Late Night with the Devil's desire to mix a solid recreation with the idea of the 70s Satanic Panic in the US create potent genre results that thrill as much as they amuse.

Blending cheesy lines with some genuinely unsettling moments and anchoring the film with Dastmalchian's committed performance amid the more than accurate period recreation, directors the Cairne brothers create a film that's rich on subtext as well as full-on scares when necessary. 

Cleverly mixing tropes and also giving a feeling it's all leading somewhere, Late Night with the Devil is a true fairground ride of a film. Mixing found footage with the master tape of what goes on during the breaks gives the film a kind of grounded feel before things go completely and inevitably ballistic. In parts though, it can't help but feel like a deliciously deviant Larry Sanders Show episode.

But not once do the directors devolve the film into the kind of trashy exploitation of the genre, preferring instead to let atmospherics and scares combine to make an experience that's deeply unsettling in parts, and crowd-pleasingly pulpy in others.

Thursday 28 March 2024

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire: Movie Review

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire: Movie Review

Cast: Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Dan Stevens, Kaylee Hottle, Rachel House, Alex Ferns, and Fala Chen

Director: Adam Wingard

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire: Movie Review

If you're going to Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire for an intellectually stimulating time, you're fresh out of luck.

Wingard's latest MonsterVerse movie is less interested in its narrative and more concerned with extended build up to a final monster showdown as well as seeming at times like an backdoor episode of Planet of the Apes.

As the threat from beneath the Hollow Earth emerges, and both Godzilla and Kong have to face off against enemy the Skar King and his minions, there are one or two surprises, but really it's less interested in spending time with the human elements of the cast, more concerned with fitting Kong with a Transformers-style robot fist and letting him go smashing.

(Talking of which, Godzilla now has a pink hue as well, perhaps indicating Warner Bros. Barbie takeover of every franchise is now complete.)

It's not that the humans don't have some fun - former Downton Abbey's Dan Stevens is clearly having a blast as the Hawaiian shirted goofball vet who's prone to cheesy moments. But for every Stevens' moment with 80s needle drops, there is a swathe of Rebecca Hall being saddled with heavy exposition - and even Henry's conspiracy theorist blogger has been dialled down in this latest.

Yet the humans are not the stars of the show here, and in fairness, neither is Godzilla.

After the truly magnificent Godzilla Minus One showed what could be done with the creature, it's disappointing to note that Kong is the only one afforded a level of depth here. From early scenes highlighting his loneliness (and even a shower sequence) to his joy at finding others from his kin, it's clear the writers have looked to the Planet of the Apes and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers for inspiration and come away with some.

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire: Movie Review

Godzilla meanwhile is left to skulking underwater, smashing things and in one hilarious ongoing visual gag, curling up in Rome's Coliseum - it's an undignified approach to the kaiju king to say the least.

Throw in elements of Prey as well and you have some indication of Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire's lack of depth - albeit the film celebrates its own shortcomings and just simply gets on with the job it needs to do. 

It's more homage to other films than its own definite brand - and while the creature chaos is carefully choreographed and defined so it doesn't become a CGI blur and the movie offers some vicarious blockbuster bombast and enjoyment, it's still nothing more than icing on a frustratingly hollow cake.

Wednesday 27 March 2024

The Mountain: Movie Review

The Mountain: Movie Review 

Cast: Elizabeth Atkinson, Terrence Daniel, Reuben Francis, Fern Sutherland, Troy Kingi, Byron Call
Director: Rachel House

Child cancer, dead mothers, errant fathers - they're all big weighty issues in director Rachel House's drama, which doesn't shy away from reality or indulge in mawkish sentimentality.

The Mountain: Movie Review

Atkinson plays Sam, a child cancer patient who breaks out from her hospital ward via the roof to go and visit her spiritual ancestor Mount Taranaki from which she believes she will be able to draw strength. 

An accidental meeting with Mallory (Francis) who's recently lost his mother to cancer convinces Sam he can be her sherpa and get no credit from climbing to the top.

Along the way they bump into Terrence Daniel's Bronco, a staunch Maori enviro-activist, who sees litter as "blinking disrespectful" and who believes he's being ignored by his father, a policeman who's just moved to the area. All three of them set out with something to prove - but will they make it?

The Mountain is occasionally uneven, and has some rough edges with its first time cast - despite having great heart and mana about it.

The Mountain: Movie Review

Moments that should be jokes sometimes fall flat, punchlines are not as snappy as they could be; but the film's heart shines through in some inspired and creative moments. from the use of KRS-One's Sound of the Police at a fireside hangout to some unbelievably jaw-dropping shots of Mount Taranaki itself.

Perhaps some of the problem with The Mountain is it never really rises above its sweetness and intentions as a kids' film. With little to no conflict in the movie, the film's drama is severely undercooked and feels more like a hangout movie rather than anything with definitive aims.

It's worth noting that the trope of the quirky Maori kid is once deployed in Bronco, a crowd-pleaser who wears his heart on his sleeve; but it's disappointing to see this once again rolled out for global audiences. 

Yet among the group of Mallory, Sam and Bronco, there's a pleasing dynamic and an understated bond that runs tried and true throughout. It's all held together by the first time actors - and by leaving them as a gang while the parents try and track them down and deal with their own issues, the Mountain doesn't seek to overcomplicate matters throughout.

There's a charm in The Mountain, and an understanding of what the ancestral home means to Sam, Mallory and Bronco in their own ways proves to be a valuable message for viewers.

But make no mistake, while it doesn't reach perhaps the summit of what it could be, House's take on a coming-of-age story that's etched with tragedy, yet never overplays its inherent sadness, is something to be saluted.

Tuesday 26 March 2024

What's on Neon in April

What's on Neon in April

Here's everything coming to Neon this April

The Sympathizer (April 15)

What's on Neon in April

Based on Viet Thanh Nguyen's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name, The Sympathizer is an espionage thriller and cross culture satire about the struggles of a half-French, half Vietnamese communist spy during the final days of the Vietnam War and his new life as a refugee in Los Angeles, where he learns that his spying days aren't over. 

Starring: Hoa Xuande, Sandra Oh and Robert Downey Jr., who plays multiple roles. 

On The Roam (April 22)

Follow Jason Momoa as he travels across the U.S. to meet extraordinary people who are blazing their own path - from craftsmen, to motorcycle fabricators, musicians to athletes. Momoa has spent his entire life taking the road less travelled, in this series he's chasing art, adventure, and friendship through the lens of craftsmanship, seeking out individuals on an endless quest to make a difference in their field and the lives around them. 


Movies

Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie (April 8)

When a magical meteor crash lands in Adventure City, it gives the PAW Patrol pups superpowers, transforming them into The MIGHTY PUPS! For Skye, the smallest member of the team, her new powers are a dream come true. But when their arch-rival Humdinger breaks out of jail and teams up with a mad scientist to steal the superpowers, the Mighty Pups must stop the super-villains before it's too late, and Skye will need to learn that even the smallest pup can make the biggest difference. 

Starring the voices of Kristen Bell, James Marsden, McKenna Grace and Taraji P. Henderson. 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (April 1)

The Turtle brothers set out to win the hearts of New Yorkers and be accepted as normal teenagers through heroic acts. But they soon get in over their heads when an army of mutantsis unleashed. 

Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken (April 15)

A shy teenage girl learns that she comes from a royal family of legendary sea krakens and her destiny lies in the depths of the oceans. Starring the voices of Lana Condor, Toni Collette and Colman Domingo.

Monday 25 March 2024

Kung Fu Panda 4: Movie Review

Kung Fu Panda 4: Movie Review

Cast: Jack Black, Awkwafina, Viola Davis, Bryan Cranston, James Hong
Director: Mike Mitchell

Fast and frenetic, but tailing off in its final strait, Kung Fu Panda 4 represents an amiable passing of the torch story.

When Dragon warrior Po (an amiable and energetic Jack Black) is told he needs to find a successor so he can ascend to the next level of his calling, he's forced onto an adventure he doesn't really want - with Zhen (Awkwafina, the perfect foil for Black) a companion who's less than thrilled to be tagging along.

Kung Fu Panda 4: Movie Review

But that's not the only problem facing Po - a new threat is rising in the Valley of Peace, the evil Chameleon (Davis, on slinky menacing form)...

Kung Fu Panda 4 is the first return of the loveable rogue since the wrapping up of the trilogy in 2016, and shows that when done well, superior animation is more than passable enough family entertainment.

Packed full of action sequences and wonderful blink-and-you'll-miss-it sight gags, Kung Fu Panda 4 may lack some of the heart and spirituality of the previous films and may go more for a message that change is good, but also scary, yet it manages to feel like 100 minutes well spent in a cinema.

While the Chameleon doesn't really do much until the end, much of the movie's pleasures come from the odd couple journey of Zhen and Po. Both Black and Awkwafina make the camaraderie that grows between them feel real and warm, even if their journey follows very familiar beats.

Kung Fu Panda 4: Movie Review

There will be much to amuse children and young-at-heart parents here - and with momentary gags working with ease, the story doesn't exactly challenge audiences, but does provide them with enough sustenance.

Equally, the animation is perfectly fine too, with some gorgeous vistas, cities and underground worlds well committed to screen.

But if the movie feels like it's running out of creative steam, it's to both Black and Awkwafina's immense credit that they muster up plenty of on-screen charisma from just vocal work. They do much of the heavy lifting of the film, and justify spending more than one more round with this Panda.

What's on DocPlay in April

What's on DocPlay in April

Here's everything that's coming to DocPlay this April.

This month, DocPlay presents Jean Luc Godard’s seminal The Rolling Stones doc, Sympathy for the Devil. One of the landmark new wave films of the ‘60s, the film gives audiences an unprecedented view of the The Rolling Stones' creative process, while reflecting on political and social issues of the time. Explore art of a different sort in Daniel Richter and The Promise, two new German documentaries that explore visual and architectural art forms, respectively. Two docs premiere for Earth Day: the timely portrait of resistance Lakota Nation Vs United States, and The Oil Machine, which interrogates society’s reliance on oil.

What's on DocPlay in April

Daniel Richter  |  1 Apr

Three years with Daniel Richter: director Pepe Danquart opens the door to the famous painter’s studio for us and draws a multifaceted portrait of the political artist.

The Promise. Architect BV Doshi  |  4 Apr

Balkrishna Doshi, one of India's most influential 20th century architects and recipient of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, shares his sources of inspiration and motivation. His presence of mind, humour and wisdom create the image of a man from whom we can not only learn to build humanly, but from whom we can learn – to be human.

Mafia & Banks  |  8 Apr  |  Series

Produced by Arte, this three-part documentary tells the little-known story of the symbiotic link between criminal organisations and the banking sector.

Sympathy for the Devil  |  11 Apr 

Sympathy for the Devil, one of the landmark new wave films of the late 1960s, directed by the celebrated auteur Jean-Luc Godard, alternates between reflections on contemporary politics and social issues of the late 1960s as well as giving the audience an unprecedented view of The Rolling Stones' creative process.

Dates That Made History  |  15 Apr

Across two seasons, revisit historical dates of monumental proportion through the prism of memory.

Lakota Nation Vs United States  |  18 Apr  |  Exclusive

Premiering at Tribeca Film Festival, Lakota Nation vs. United States chronicles the Lakota Indians' century-long quest to reclaim the Black Hills, sacred land that was stolen in violation of treaty agreements. A searing and timely portrait of resistance.

The Oil Machine  |  22 Apr  |  Exclusive

The Oil Machine explores our economic, historical and emotional entanglement with oil by looking at the conflicting imperatives around North Sea oil.

Kokoda  |  25 Apr

From the corridors of power to the blood-stained battlefields of the Papua New Guinea highlands, Kokoda tells the story of the brutal World War Two military campaign between Australia and Japan that changed the course of Australian history

Untouchable  |  29 Apr

The inside story of the Harvey Weinstein scandal.

What's on Prime Video in April

What's on Prime Video in April

Here is what's on Prime Video in April.

FALLOUT

What's on Prime Video in April

AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY ON THURSDAY 11 APRIL 

Based on one of the greatest video game series of all time, Fallout is the story of haves and have-nots in a world in which there’s almost nothing left to have. Two-hundred years after the apocalypse, the gentle denizens of luxury fallout shelters are forced to return to the irradiated hellscape their ancestors left behind—and are shocked to discover an incredibly complex, gleefully weird, and highly violent universe waiting for them. Ella Purnell is Lucy, an optimistic Vault-dweller with an all-American can-do spirit. Her peaceful and idealistic nature is tested when she is forced to the surface to rescue her father. Aaron Moten is Maximus, a young soldier who rises to the rank of squire in the militaristic faction called Brotherhood of Steel. He will do anything to further the Brotherhood’s goals of bringing law and order to the wasteland. Walton Goggins is the Ghoul, a morally ambiguous bounty hunter who holds within him a 200-year history of the post-nuclear world. These disparate parties collide when chasing an artifact from an enigmatic researcher that has the potential to radically change the power dynamic in this world.


Fallout stars Ella Purnell, Walton Goggins, Aaron Moten, Moisés Arias, Kyle MacLachlan, Sarita Choudhury, Michael Emerson, Leslie Uggams, Frances Turner, Dave Register, Zach Cherry, Johnny Pemberton, Rodrigo Luzzi, Annabel O'Hagan, and Xelia Mendes-Jones.


MÚSICA

AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY ON THURSDAY 4 APRIL 

Rudy Mancuso, a charismatic but directionless young street performer from Newark’s Ironbound neighborhood, has a unique view of the world. Thanks to a rare condition called synesthesia, he experiences everyday noises – from car horns to water droplets to doors slamming – as a series of complex rhythms. He struggles to keep the music in his head at bay, but it’s not so easily accomplished. 

When he’s not taking classes to finish his college degree or staging puppet performances for commuters on the streets of the Ironbound’s close-knit Brazilian community, Rudy is trying to convince his girlfriend, Haley (Francesca Reale), that he will eventually figure things out. He lives with his mother, Maria (played by the actor’s real-life mother, Maria Mancuso), who wants her son to dump Haley and settle down with a nice Brazilian girl from the neighborhood. Rudy also gets advice on life and love from his best friend, Anwar (comedian J.B. Smoove), a food truck operator whose cultural identity morphs based on where his truck is parked on any given day. Matters take a turn for the chaotic when Rudy is literally knocked out by a flying piece of frozen fish. The accident leads to an encounter with Isabella (Camila Mendes), a beautiful young Brazilian woman who works in the local fish market and who may understand Rudy in ways nobody else ever has. Caught in a love triangle, Rudy tries to balance his cultural heritage, the women in his life and the música inside his head.

Música stars Camila Mendes, Francesca Reale, J.B. Smoove and Rudy Mancuso. 


HOW TO DATE BILLY WALSH 

AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY ON FRIDAY 5 APRIL 

Teenagers Amelia (Charithra Chandran) and Archie (Sebastian Croft) have been best friends since childhood. Archie has always been there to fight Amelia’s battles and laugh at her jokes all whilst keeping his lifelong love for her a secret. Just when he builds up the courage to declare his feelings, Amelia falls head over heels for Billy Walsh (Tanner Buchanan), the new American transfer student. Heartbroken Archie goes to great lengths to try and keep Amelia and Billy away from each other but ends up pushing them closer together and risks losing his best friend in the process.


How To Date Billy Walsh stars Sebastian Croft, Charithra Chandran and Tanner Buchanan. 


THEM: THE SCARE 

SEASON 2 AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY ON THURSDAY 25 APRIL 


Them will once again be set in Los Angeles County (the first installment, subtitled Covenant, took place in Compton circa 1952 but will move the time frame forward to 1991). The new story centers on LAPD Homicide Detective Dawn Reeve who is assigned to a new case: the gruesome murder of a foster home mother that has left even the most hardened detectives shaken. Navigating a tumultuous time in Los Angeles, with a city on the razor’s edge of chaos, Dawn is determined to stop the killer. But as she draws closer to the truth, something ominous and malevolent grips her and her family…

Them: The Scare stars Deborah Ayorinde, Pam Grier, Luke James, Joshua J. Williams, Jeremy Bobb, Wayne Knight, Carlito Olivero, Charles Brice and Iman Shumpert. 

PUPPY LOVE

AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY ON THURSDAY 18 APRIL 

After a disastrous first date, wild child Nicole (Lucy Hale) and socially anxious Max (Grant Gustin) vow to lose each other’s numbers, until they learn that their dogs found a love match, and now puppies are on the way! The hilariously mismatched Nicole and Max are forced to become responsible co-parents, but may end up finding love themselves.

Puppy Love stars Lucy Hale, Grant Gustin, Jane Seymour, Michael Hitchcock and Nore Davis


GOING HOME WITH TYLER CAMERON 

AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY ON THURSDAY 18 APRIL 

Going Home with Tyler Cameron stars reality TV star and former The Bachelorette heartthrob Tyler Cameron as he follows his dream of starting his own construction and home renovation company. After the sudden loss of his mother, Tyler moved back to his hometown, Jupiter, Florida, to reunite with his family and finally achieve his goal of launching his business, Image One. With the help of his team members - house-flipping expert, Robb Ritch, and Miami-based interior designer, Jessica Quintero - Tyler builds his company from the ground up, exceeding his clients’ expectations one home renovation at a time. As the projects get bigger, better and more complex, Tyler navigates the challenges of entrepreneurship, demonstrating his growth and resilience. Leaning on his tight-knit community for support, the series features appearances from familiar faces, including former Bachelor Nationstars Matt James, Rachael Kirkconnell, Jason Tartick, and even The Bachelorette who once captured his heart, Hannah Brown. With each episode ending in the exciting reveal of Image One’s latest stunning remodel, the season culminates in the most important undertaking of them all – turning the house that Tyler’s late mom left behind into the family home that she always dreamed of.

APRIL 2024 TOP PICKS:

LAST TANGO IN PARIS (MOVIE) 1/04/24

HACKERS (MOVIE) 1/04/24

MANNEQUIN (1987) (MOVIE) 1/04/24

BABY DRIVER (TV) 1/04/24

RESIDENT EVIL: EXTINCTION (MOVIE) 1/04/24

BILLY LYNN'S LONG HALFTIME WALK (MOVIE) 1/04/24

RESIDENT EVIL: AFTERLIFE (MOVIE) 1/04/24

RESIDENT EVIL: APOCALYPSE (MOVIE) 1/04/24

THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (2016) (MOVIE) 1/04/24

RESIDENT EVIL (MOVIE) 1/04/24

RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION (MOVIE) 1/04/24

SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE (MOVIE) 1/04/24

MADAGASCAR (MOVIE) 1/04/24

PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR (MOVIE) 1/04/24

SMURFS: THE LOST VILLAGE (MOVIE) 1/04/24

JUMANJI: THE NEXT LEVEL (MOVIE) 1/04/24

HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA (MOVIE) 1/04/24

HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 2 (MOVIE) 1/04/24

PIXELS (MOVIE) 1/04/24

JUMANJI: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE (MOVIE) 1/04/24

PETER RABBIT (2018) (MOVIE) 1/04/24

JUMANJI (1995) (MOVIE) 1/04/24

CONSTANTINE (MOVIE) 2/04/24

MÚSICA (MOVIE) 4/04/24

HOW TO DATE BILLY WALSH (MOVIE) 5/04/24

DEFIANCE (MOVIE) 7/04/24

GOOSEBUMPS (MOVIE) 10/04/24

FALLOUT S1 (TV) 11/04/24

BIOSPHERE (MOVIE) 15/04/24

HIP HOP WORLD (MOVIE) 16/04/24

CRIMINAL (2016) (MOVIE) 16/04/24

PUPPY LOVE (MOVIE) 18/04/24

GOING HOME WITH TYLER CAMERON S1 (TV) 18/04/24

MISS SLOANE (MOVIE) 23/04/24

THEM: THE SCARE S2 (TV) 25/04/24

COMEDY CLASS S1 (TV) 26/04/24

WHICH BRINGS ME TO YOU (MOVIE) 26/04/24

ACMA GAME S1 (TV) 26/04/24

AMERICAN ULTRA (MOVIE) 28/04/24


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Late Night with the Devil: Movie Review

Late Night with the Devil: Movie Review A genre film mixing pulp thrills and a recreation of a 70s late night talk show, Late Night with the...