2015 – NZ Film Freak

Good riddance, 2015!

2015 is finally over.

Anyone else feel like 2015 took a few years too long to come to an end?

Madonna I'm a material girl gif — I am now a material girl.

This time last year, I had just graduated from university to begin my career of job-hunting. I eventually landed a job in the industry I trained in – the media – which is an achievement in itself, really. I have learnt an awful lot about being a grown-up and earning a living.

However, it has meant I haven’t had much energy to do much else. Hence the pitiful turn-out for movie reviews this year.

During my ‘indoor’ time in 2015, I have discovered the TV show New Girl, featuring Zooey Deschanel, and the good-looking Jake Johnson.

Weirdly, I have been able to relate to this fictional show – at least for the first two seasons before it slowly faded into the Hollywood abyss of flattering lighting and two-dimensional characters.

But I digress…

Despite a predominately average 2015, I have ended this year on an unexpected high note by spending December with exciting people, and getting out of my comfort zone.

Now 22, I am ready to continue in this adventurous fashion, by following my passion for writing and travel. I am ready to see things that can’t be found in an air-conditioned office, and tick off some things from my bucket list.

Although, I did actually tick one thing off my bucket list quite recently, for some reason I had written “ride a bus for free” some years ago. I can only assume this was inspired by the Alanis Morisette song ‘Ironic‘

It’s a free riiiiide, when you’ve already paid

But, I really did get to ride a bus for free. The machine that takes your money broke, and the bus driver was all like, “WTF, OMG, YOLO” and let me on for free.

Despite this obvious rush of achievement, I am actually planning to tick larger things off my bucket list this year. Keep an eye out on my blog for developments.

So here we go: Here are the few movies I have reviewed during the year of 2015.

2015 reviewed movies:

Gold, Jerry, Gold!
9.5/10
American Graffiti (re-reveiwed)

9/10
Whiplash
Wild

Hoochie Mama!
8.5/10
Arthur Christmas
A Few Good Men
The Town

8/10
Big Eyes
Inside Out
Godzilla (2014)
Gone Girl

7.5/10
Into the Wild

Giddy-Up!
6/10
What We Did on Our Holiday
Big Hero 6

Yada, Yada, Yada…
4/10
Hector and the Search for Happiness

—

Indie, short and other films:
Goldfish
Courting Chaos
My Lonely Me
In the Mood for Love
All in One Creativity Kit
The American Garage
James Herman Banning: Greatest Story Never Told

All the best for 2016!
Jodie

Pokey LaFarge Comes Back to Town

Pokey LaFarge comes to New Zealand It seems I didn’t scare them off!

You may remember my hypo blog post this time last year… Here’s another:

Pokey LaFarge returns to Auckland! It was grand. This time, promoting their brand new album Something In the Water, which was released in New Zealand on the night – well before the official April 7 release date.

A lot has changed with their sound, still keeping their fantastic ragtime/blues genre and tempo, but with an extra player added to the team: Matt the drummer! It was amazing. It was a loud and energetic atmosphere to say the least with the lead singer, Pokey, making the crowd laugh in between songs.

Chloe the spectacular sax/clarinet player did a duet with Pokey on a couple of songs which was so, so cool! I loved it!

I will restrain my inner fan this year and not write a mile-long post, but it was a fantastic show that sold out much earlier than last year – so lucky I was on the guest list! Yes, this band treats their psycho fans rather well.

I can’t wait to buy their album (I didn’t bring cash on the night to buy one! What an amateur mistake on my behalf.)

Check out their latest single:

Thanks to the 7-piece Pokey LaFarge band.

Jodie.

What We Did on our Holiday

What We Did on our Holiday film poster Directors: Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin
Writers: Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin
Released: September 2014
Starring: David Tennant, Rosamund Pike and Billy Connolly
—

Like my horse, it’s funny at the beginning, saggy in the middle and a bit crappy at the end.

This is a film – featuring the spectacular David Tennant (Dr. Who!!) and Rosamund Pike – about a family of five going on holiday to Scotland for the grandfather’s 75th birthday party.

Long story short, the parents are having a divorce but only the children know, and they are sworn to secrecy while visiting their sickly grandfather so as to keep his final years pleasant.

What We Did on our Holiday film with David Tennant and Rosamund Pike Pike plays the mum, Abi, Tennant as the dad, Doug, and Billy Connolly as the granddad, Gordie.

Abi and Doug have three children, the easiest way to describe them is as the intelligent and serious one, the creative one and the youngest and funniest one. Sort of like in that Lemoney Snicket movie A Series of Unfortunate Events.

I found the first third of the movie hilarious – such a typical English comedy. It reminded me of About a Boy. I was laughing out loud watching it on the plane and everything. (Although, that was after two bourbon and cokes…)

After that, it got quite slow. The drama began to set in, but there wasn’t enough at stake, perhaps, for the audience to feel to effected?

What We Did on our Holiday film Nevertheless, the script was amazing. Some fantastic one-liners! For example, the youngest child has a brick and a rock as friends:

Doug: Have you seen anybody about this?
Abi: Like a geologist?

And a whooooooole other bunch of funny lines, which I can’t find on the internet for you because it’s a newish film.

I think this movie has great intentions, and it was almost awesome from beginning to end, with philosophical and comedic moments.

Jodie’s rating: 6/10

Wild

Wild film poster Director: Jean-Marc Vallee
Writer: Nick Hornby (screenplay), Cheryl Strayed (novel)
Released: December 2014 (USA), January 2015 (NZ)
Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, Thomas Sadoski, Michiel Huisman and Gaby Hoffman
—

Based on a true story, Cheryl Strayed (Reese Witherspoon) battles the ghosts of her past: heroin addiction, divorce, the death of her mother and the abandonment of her father. As a way to start fresh, she goes on a 1000-mile journey along the Pacific Crest Trail.

Reese Witherspoon in counselling scene in Wild film To be frank, the flashbacks made me feel really uncomfortable. But… I guess the world of heroin addicts shouldn’t exactly be attractive.

A classic ‘runaway movie‘, although I’m not entirely sure if this is actually a sub-genre. Nevertheless, Wild fits into this category along with Into the Wild, Thelma and Louise.

Find out more about the runaway genre here!

Wild film with Reese Witherspoon In fact, if you enjoyed Into the Wild (also a biographic), then you’re likely to enjoy Wild. It’s basically the same story but from the perspective of a woman, with different life problems.

I honestly had little doubt in Reese Witherspoon. I knew she would play this complicated character well. I’ve really enjoyed her more serious roles ever since Walk the Line.

When I walked out of the cinema, I needed time to process. I really felt moved by this film, not only because I love the ‘runaway genre’, but because the film makers portrayed Strayed’s emotions so convincingly that I started to take her problems on board.

Wild Reese Witherspoon film I’d like to point out that the screenplay was written by Nick Hornby, who wrote About A Boy. Whatta guy!

Wow, almost forgot to mention the soundtrack! The songs include a perfectly fitting Portishead song (Glory Box) that plays during flash-backs to Strayed’s lowest of times as an addict.

Other amazing artists on the soundtrack include Simon & Garfunkel, an R.E.M cover by First Aid Kit, Wings, Leonard Cohen, Bruce Springsteen… It goes on.

I think the best movies make you laugh, cry and leave you with something to ponder. Wild certainly does. Some parts are hard to watch (not quite on par with the dreaded Requiem for a Dream though), but for the most part, I enjoyed it.

Life, eh!

Jodie’s rating: 9/10

Sayonara, 2014!

The Beatles wave while walking off of the plane
Three years of blogging on NZ Film Freak. Not a bad achievement!

I graduated from uni! (Thank Christ for that.) — Jodie’s graduation: I got caught in the rain… Hence my hair looking the way it does.

I have completed my Bachelor of Communications degree, majoring in journalism, which has led me to amazing opportunities such as working for a community newspaper, and a legit film reviewing site called Flicks.

I have rediscovered my love for photography, and creative writing – not sure if you’ve read my poems… They get a wee bit crazy pretty quickly.

I’ve also found a previously unexplored knack of mine doing voice overs. My voice is being played on podcasts and indie radio stations all around the world! Very exciting. Most of them via Fiverr.

Just get a job. Since graduating, the question I have been asked like a broken record is:

“So… what next?”

And fair enough; what am I going to do with my life?

(Perhaps university doesn’t prepare you for answering this giant question because they want you to feel so overwhelmed with the real world that you end up turning around and enrolling in an expensive post-grad course.)

I do take inspiration from movies when having to make a big decision. For example, after watching Julie & Julia I decided to create this very blog!

In the case of post-uni life, I seriously considered doing what the main character did in Into the Wild. But that was before I watched the ending.

Wendy in Peter Pan Disney cartoon- But Mother, I don't want to grow up. I wasn’t smart enough in uni for my life to turn out like Good Will Hunting. Nor was I grunge or cool enough to be Becca in Pitch Perfect.

However, I shall find my path as a grown-up!

I’m going to continue Film Freaking, and I hope to work in the exciting world of radio! Perhaps reviewing films, or writing on websites or talking about music or…

I love the idea of working in radio, (not just because the guys on The Boat that Rocked looked like they had so much fun), but also because I’ve become a bit more familiar with it since doing voice overs.

Also, I’ve been listening to a lot of The Ricky Gervais Show, which features Karl Pilkington. Working around great, charismatic people seems like a grand thing to be a part of.

Enough of me, though!

2014 has brought us a lot of animated films, and a few more epics like last year! But ultimately, it’s a mixed bag.

I haven’t reviewed an awful lot this year, so I do apologise! But I have to say, I think last year’s assortment was better.

2014 reviewed movies:

Gold, Jerry, Gold!
9.5/10
Thelma & Louise

9/10
Interstellar

Hoochie Mama!
8.5/10
Captain America: The Winter Soldier

8/10
The Way, Way Back
Nightcrawler
Her

7.5/10
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Young Adult

7/10
Fault in our Stars
Frozen
Julie & Julia

Giddy-Up!
6.5/10
American Hustle

6/10
Hercules

5/10
The Lego Movie
22 Jump Street

Yada, Yada, Yada…
4.5/10
Deliver Us From Evil

4/10
Lucy

A Show About Nothing!
2/10
Transformers: Age of Extinction

—

Indie films:
Sunshine
Tissue
Chinese Penhold
Love Thy Neighbour
Pizza Shop
Broken Record
The Louise Log
Wild Girl Waltz
Reza Abdoh – Theatre Visionary
Lost Angeles
Príncipe 69
Film Premiere at Cricket World Cup
The One Minute Fly Show (Web Series)
Invert: Origin of the Telepathic Hero

Expect to see more posts on my blog, anyway. I love getting good ~~or bad~~ feedback, so please vote on the polls, comment on my posts and like my Facebook page. It means a lot!

Good luck for 2015, guys.
Jodie.

Thunderbirds Are Go! – 2015 Remake

Thunderbirds are go Have you heard?

The iconic Thunderbirds show filmed in the 60s is being revamped using a mixture of live action and CGI.

Thunderbirds Are Go! is being created with help from New Zealand’s own Weta Workshop and Pukeko Studios – no more puppets here!

Oddly, almost all of the released cast members have worked on the 50-year-old Doctor Who series. It includes actors such as David Graham, Angel Coulby and Thomas Brodie-Sangster (the list goes on). Both of the composers worked on Doctor Who as well.

(Rosamund Pike (Made In Dagenham, The World’s End) seems like the perfect choice to voice Lady Penelope.)

The release date is Spring 2015… New Zealand’s Spring or UK’s Spring? Who knows. Nothing is being given away in haste.

This is the only teaser we have for the moment! EXCITEMENT!

Jodie.

Reza Abdoh – Theatre Visionary (Doco)

This is a documentary about the late theatre director, Reza Abdoh.

The Iranian-born American artist was known for his large productions and the impact he had on the industry in the early 90s.

He died in 1995 at the age of 32. This documentary explores his life with over 46 interviews.

I am personally not interested in this kind of outlandish theatre, but judging by the six minute promo it looks to be a fantastically produced doco. The lighting and sound looks perfect in the interviews.

The film maker, Adam Soch, is currently looking to raise $35,000 via Kickstarter to complete the post production and DVD release. The money needs to be raised by November 30, and is currently up to $12,000.

If you’re into theatre, I suspect you have heard of Reza Abdoh and understand the effect he had on the industry.

If the rest of the production gets funded, keep an eye out for it in Spring 2015!

Jodie.

Back to the Future II

Back to the FUture II

Director: Robert Zemeckis
Writers: Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale
Released: 1989
Starring: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Thomas F. Wilson
—

Well, we went to the recent past of 1985 in the last movie so it’s only logical to go to the future of 1985 in the sequel! We go to 2015 where the cars are flying and instead of skateboards, we have hover boards… Doesn’t seem quite so realistic now that 2015 is just around the corner! You scientist better get on to it. We’re going to be disappointed if we don’t have our flying cars and hover boards by 2015…

back_to_the_future_part_2_1989_685x385 “Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads….” We go to the future with Marty (Micheal J. Fox), Doc (Christopher Lloyd) and Marty’s girlfriend Jennifer (Elizabeth Shue) because Doc is concerned that their son will be framed by the grandson of Biff (Thomas F. Wilson), Marty’s high school bully.

back-to-the-future-2_b — Recognise a certain somebody from *Titanic*? Billy Zane’s (front left) first job was playing one of the bullies in *Back to the Future*!

Whilst there, Marty buys a magazine that recorded the results of every major sport of 1985 making betting a breeze. Unfortunately, he leaves it laying around for it to land in the wrong hands – Biff’s – who steals the time machine and creates an alternate 2015! So Doc and Marty have to save the McFlys as well as going back to 1955 to prevent Biff giving the magazine to his younger self who would create the evil alternate era!! Pheph! This is a much more scary and shocking film than the more lighthearted last, but still very exciting.

BTTF2 This dark film exposes the full extent of the dangers of time travel as Marty finds his father’s grave and his mother married to Biff in the alternate 1985. There’s a lot of gun action and accurately predicts the rise of corporations ruling the world (Biff’s company owning the police force) and everybody’s infatuation with money. It’s a massive flip-side to the innocent times of the previous film which is unexpected.

I preferred the colourful times of 1955 of Back to the Future I. However, this is still a very enjoyable film! Particularly the epic music by Alan Silvestri – equally as great as the previous film.

Jodie’s rating: 7.5/10
Check out my review of the sequels: Back to the Future I and Back to the Future III