New Zealand

THE CHANGEOVER: A Creepy and Surprisingly Effective Young Adult Supernatural Film
THE CHANGEOVER: A Creepy & Surprisingly Effective Young Adult Supernatural Film

A mature, eerie, and effective coming-of-age story, The Changeover is a definite standout when it comes to young adult films.

THE BREAKER UPPERERS Interview: Jackie Van Beek & Madeleine Sami, Writers/Directors/Stars
THE BREAKER UPPERERS Interview: Jackie Van Beek & Madeleine Sami, Writers/Directors/Stars

We spoke with the Jackie van Beek & Madeleine Sami, directors, writers and stars of upcoming New Zealand comedy The Breaker Upperers, about their work together as well as Taika Waititi’s role as a producer on the film.

MEAT: Journey to Your Plate
MEAT: Journey To Your Plate

MEAT provides understanding and raises awareness of our eating habits, while taking a palatable approach to show you the origin of meat.

WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES: The End of Mankind Never Looked So Good
WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES: The End of Mankind Never Looked So Good

War for the Planet of the Apes is a must-see, visually stunning achievement and a satisfying addition to the series.

HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE: The Balmy Wild
HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE: The Balmy Wild

Like much of writer/director Taika Waititi’s other work, Hunt for the Wilderpeople finds humor in asking us to laugh at its characters. They all have some ridiculous traits, and we’re free to have fun at their expense. Some of them are delusional, some of them are myopic, and some of them totally lack self-consciousness.

TICKLED: Anatomy Of A Troll
TICKLED: Anatomy Of A Troll

There are no shortage of docs that explore underworlds and subcultures most of us have hardly considered, if we knew they existed at all. These sorts of films, which have been a hallmark of the modern documentary since Salesman and feature subjects as varied as those of Paris is Burning and Murderball, serve both to reveal what is unique about adherents of a particular subculture as well as communicate how they have the same hopes and dreams as everyone else. The new documentary Tickled is no exception, but it flips the idea on its ear.

What We Do In The Shadows
WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS: Hilariously Human Vampires

What We Do In The Shadows is a mockumentary that expertly takes the piss out of the currently very glamorous pop culture status of the historic monster, the vampire. It initially features four vampires who live together in a flat in Wellington, New Zealand. All have arrived there for different reasons:

Hitch Hike
HITCH HIKE: A Long and Lonely Road

The road of the motherless child is long and hard. So is the process of watching Hitch Hike, a short film about a teenage boy hitching a lift to find his birth mother. Although writer and director Matthew Saville’s story has the potential to be a powerful message that touches on a very real social issue, he shoots far too wide of the mark for any meaningful impact.