News Blog @ Wellington City Libraries

New DVDs at the library this month include the first seasons of the critically lauded dramas ‘Boardwalk Empire’ & ‘The Walking dead’; the latest season of ‘Supernatural’; new movies ‘Cowboys & Aliens’ & ‘Horrible Bosses’; and acclaimed British Mini-Series ‘The Hour’…

The hour.
“A six part series that was billed, in the run up to its transmission, as Britain having a go at doing its own spin on Mad Men, The Hour is actually a show with an identity of its own, and quite different from the hit American drama… The Hour’s main attraction, as it turns out, is its cast. Putting The Wire star Dominic West at the heart of the drama proves to be a masterstroke, and he’s ably supported by a high calibre company of acting talent, including Juliet Stevenson, Anna Chancellor and Ben Whishaw…This is a show surrounding a BBC news programme being made in 1956, which happens to be the time of the Suez Crisis. Behind the scenes of the show, there’s sexual politics, ambitions, and pressures from all directions. And that, mixed with a strong attention to period detail, helps make The Hour an engaging drama…” (Adapted from Amazon.co.uk review)

Cowboys & aliens.
“Cowboys & Aliens fuses rip-snortin’ horse opera with some whiz-bang sci-fi, melding dry and austere badlands with slimy, mucusy aliens. Jake Lonergan (Daniel Craig, of James Bond fame) wakes up in the midst of sagebrush with a mysterious gadget around his wrist and no idea who he is–but he sure does remember how to take care of the bounty hunters who want to bring him in. His path soon crosses with a ruthless cattle baron named Woodrow Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford, of Indiana Jones fame), who’s not too happy with Lonergan, who got Dolarhyde’s son in trouble. But their fracas becomes beside the point when spaceships descend and start lassoing people like cattle. The humans, including a mysterious woman (Olivia Wilde, Tron), a Native American tribe, and some snaggletoothed outlaws, band together to fight off this invasion from another world…” (Adapted from Amazon.com review)

Something borrowed.
“A frothy adaptation of Emily Giffin’s bestselling novel, Something Borrowed itself borrows some of the best bits from earlier romantic comedies like When Harry Met Sally…, 27 Dresses, and Sex and the City. Though Kate Hudson is the ostensible Big Star here, it’s Ginnifer Goodwin (Big Love, He’s Just Not That into You) who finally comes into her own as a winsome leading lady. The plot is fairly simple: Rachel (Goodwin) harbours secret feelings for Dex (Colin Egglesfield), the fiancé of her best friend, Darcy (Hudson). Along for the ride, and acting as a sort of stage manager/narrator à la Our Town, is Ethan (John Krasinski), who just may be harbouring some secret longings of his own…” (Adapted from Amazon.co.uk review)

The walking dead. The complete first season.
“Arguably the biggest hit of the US 2010 television season, the apocalypse drama The Walking Dead pulls the zombie subgenre out of its overexposed doldrums and finds, ironically enough, the humanity and emotion beneath its rotting shell. Produced by Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption) and Gale Anne Hurd (Aliens) and based on the acclaimed graphic novel by Robert Kirkman, The Walking Dead follows a band of Atlanta-based survivors of a viral outbreak that has caused the dead to rise up and consume the living. The group’s nominal leader is a sheriff’s deputy (Andrew Lincoln) who wakes from a gunshot-induced coma to find the world in disarray and his wife (Sarah Wayne Callies, Prison Break) and son missing…” (Adapted from Amazon.co.uk review)

Supernatural. The complete sixth season.
“When audiences last saw the Winchester brothers at the end of season five, Dean (Jensen Ackles) had abandoned hunting demons in favor of family life, while Sam (Jared Padalecki) had apparently lost his battle with Lucifer in the season finale. But as season six reveals, Sam is alive and well… As the brothers grapple with shape-shifting infants (”Two and a Half Men”), vampires (the unfortunately titled “Live Free or TwiHard”), leprechauns (Robert Picardo in “Clap Your Hands If You Believe…”), horror icon H.P. Lovecraft (”Let It Bleed”), and a variety of homegrown monstrosities, they discover that Sam’s soul is in the possession of the demon Crowley (Mark Sheppard), who is using it to manipulate Sam into locating the souls of Purgatory, which could turn the tide of a civil war raging in Heaven towards Crowley and renegade angel Castiel (Misha Collins)…’ (Adapted from Amazon.com review)

Boardwalk empire. The complete first season.
“In fine (and bloody) style, HBO’s Boardwalk Empire returns to 1920 when the ban on booze led to a syndicate of bootleggers and smugglers. Created by Sopranos scribe Terence Winter and coproduced by director Martin Scorsese, the story centers on Atlantic City treasurer Enoch “Nucky” Thompson (Steve Buscemi), who schemes in private while preaching temperance in public. Jimmy (Michael Pitt, Buscemi’s Delirious costar), a war veteran, acts as his right-hand man, while zealous Agent Van Alden (Michael Shannon) and refined mobster Arnold Rothstein (A Serious Man’s Michael Stuhlbarg) represent significant threats to his enterprise…Inspired by Nelson Johnson’s book, Boardwalk Empire takes a Deadwood-like approach to history by combining characters both factual and fictional with blue language and ladies without brassieres…” (Adapted from Amazon.co.uk review)

Horrible bosses.
“Three friends, Nick (Jason Bateman), Kurt (Jason Sudeikis), and Dale (Charlie Day), commiserate about their three respective Horrible Bosses. And yes, each is the worst kind of HR nightmare. Nick’s boss is Dave (Kevin Spacey, terrific), a control-freak megalomaniac. Kurt’s is Bobby (an almost unrecognizable Colin Farrell), a skeevy cokehead. And Dale’s is Julia (Jennifer Aniston, having so much fun it’s contagious), a sexual harasser who never misses an opportunity to prey (or swear). Suddenly, there’s a Hitchcockian twist: What if each of the miserable workers could make one of the others’ worst nightmares go away? But Horrible Bosses is no Strangers on a Train. Instead, it’s a rollicking romp of bad-intentions-gone-even-worse, with the chemistry of all of the actors keeping things moving along crisply…” (Adapted from Amazon.com review)

Super.
“An unsettling combination of black comedy and queasy ultra-violence, this real-world superhero story functions as a grimy (and sometimes surprisingly moving) counter to the stylized wisenheimer hipness of Kick-Ass. Eschewing wirework and bullet-time in favor of painful contusions and awkward pauses, the story follows Frank, a devout, slightly dim short-order clerk (Rainn Wilson), who experiences a major downturn after losing his wife (Liv Tyler) to a local mobster (a gleefully evil Kevin Bacon). Guided by an anime-inspired spiritual vision, Frank proceeds to don a red suit and adopt the secret identity of the Crimson Bolt, who strikes fear into the hearts of criminals by… As his crusade worryingly expands to include jaywalkers and people cutting in line at the movies, Frank receives unwelcome help from an overly bubbly comic-store clerk (Ellen Page, playing way against type) bent on becoming his sidekick…” (Adapted from Amazon.com review)

According to the Guinness Book of Records, Sherlock Holmes is the “most frequently recurring character on screen” (as of May 2011, he had been portrayed in 238 films). Since his latest outing – Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows – is out today, we thought we’d round up some of the Great Detective’s other film & television turns, available for you to borrow at the library. So, here goes – we’re sure we’ve missed many excellent adaptations (it’s pretty much inevitable with such a popular character), but here are some of our favourites:

(If we’ve missed one off our list that you think should be included, comment and let us know!)

Sherlock Holmes / a Guy Ritchie film.
“After finally catching serial killer and occult ’sorcerer’ Lord Blackwood, legendary sleuth Sherlock Holmes and his assistant Dr. Watson can close yet another successful case. After his execution, Blackwood mysteriously returns from the grave and resumes his killing spree, Holmes must take up the hunt once again. Contending with Watson’s new fiancée and the dimwitted head of Scotland Yard, the determined detective must unravel the clues that will lead him into a twisted web of murder, deceit, and black magic, not to mention the deadly embrace of temptress Irene Adler.” (Library Catalogue)

We say: It seemed to make sense to start with Guy Ritchie’s first Holmes offering. This is the prequel to “Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows”, and features Rachel McAdams as Irene Adler. Enjoy!

Sherlock. Series one [videorecording] / co-created by Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat.
“A contemporary take on the classic Arthur Conan Doyle stories, Sherlock is a thrilling, funny, fast-paced adventure series set in present-day London. Co-created by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, Sherlock stars Benedict Cumberbatch as the new Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman as his loyal friend, Doctor John Watson. Rupert Graves plays Inspector Lestrade. John Watson: doctor, soldier, war hero, lost soul. Fresh from fighting the war in Afghanistan, a chance encounter brings him into the world of Sherlock Holmes: loner, detective, genius. [...] The two men couldn’t be more different, but Sherlock’s inspired leaps of intellect coupled with John’s pragmatism soon forge an unbreakable alliance. [...] The world’s favourite detective has come out of the fog. With sparkling scripts and unforgettable performances from the two leads, this is Sherlock for a new generation. This set contains all three episodes and the original Pilot.” (Amazon.co.uk)

We say: This series makes us wish British television series were longer – this one only has three episodes and a pilot, but is *extremely* good. Steven Moffat (probably now most well known for Doctor Who) and Mark Gatiss (League of Gentlemen, and also a writer on Doctor Who), update Holmes for the 21st century.

Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, The Return of Sherlock Holmes (this volume also includes “The Case Book of Sherlock Holmes”), and The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes
“The late Jeremy Brett, the definitive Holmes, stars in these beautiful adaptations taken from the classic ITV1 series and as ever Dr Watson is on hand as his indispensable assistant. Featuring guests appearances from stars such as John Thaw (Inspector Morse), Robert Hardy (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets), Natasha Richardson (Maid in Manhattan), Joss Ackland (Lethal Weapon 2), Peter Vaughan (Remains of the Day) and many more.” (Amazon.co.uk)

We say: Jeremy Brett is many people’s favourite Holmes incarnation. This is classic Holmes, complete with deerstalker and pipe. We like Benedict Cumberbatch as a modern interpretation of Holmes, but agree you can’t go past Brett’s Holmes. Watch and enjoy!

Young Sherlock Holmes
“Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson meet as boys in an English Boarding school. Holmes is known for his deductive ability even as a youth, amazing his classmates with his abilities. When they discover a plot to murder a series of British business men by an Egyptian cult, they move to stop it.” (Library Catalogue)

We say: Written by Chris Columbus, and produced by Steven Spielberg, this may not be everyone’s cup of tea as it’s a bit of a departure from the normal Holmes fare – but we enjoyed it and recommend it. It may look like a children’s movie, but it’s really not. Features a sinister Egyptian cult and a very young love interest for Holmes. A sad ending, but since Holmes in adult life is most definitely NOT well-adjusted, this film invents some backstory that contributes to this aspect of his character. Made in the mid ’80s – what more do we need to say? Watch this one!

The seven-per-cent solution [videorecording] / a Herbert Ross film.
“Adapted from Nicholas Meyer’s bestselling novel, this film imagines what might have happened had Dr. Watson convinced Sherlock Holmes to seek a cure for his cocanine addiction from Dr. Sigmund Freud. The adventure begins when Holmes and Freud team up to solve a kidnapping mystery.” (Library Catalogue)

We say: We’re intrigued by the idea of Sigmund Freud teaming up with Holmes. We may have to lay our hands on this one soon!

The private life of Sherlock Holmes / produced and directed by Billy Wilder.
“When a beautiful woman claims that her dear husband has disappeared, the investigation takes Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson to Scotland, where – to their surprise – they uncover a plot involving a clandestine society, Her Majesty’s Secret Service and the Loch Ness Monster. But before he can deduce matters to the elementary, Holmes makes an error that may jeopardise the national safety of Britain, and ruin his reputation.” (Library Catalogue)

We say: This is not (yet) one of our favourites, since we have yet to see this film. However, it seems to be highly rated by Holmes fans – so the likelihood we’ll be watching it soon seems high. Directed by Billy Wilder and starring Robert Stephens as Sherlock and Colin Blakely as Watson, Christopher Lee also makes an appearance as Mycroft. Supposedly this film features a slightly wittier Sherlock, while still keeping those dark and brooding qualities we all like so much. Read what Rotten Tomatoes has to say about this film.

Haven’t found something you’d like to watch yet? Browse more film and television adaptations featuring Sherlock Holmes on our catalogue.

Here are some of our favourite Christmas movies, as well as movies set around this time of year. Our picks range from Dickensian Muppets to Tim Allen in The Santa Clause, and Gremlins tearing up the town. Plus, classics like It’s a Wonderful Life and Miracle on 34th Street. We’d love to hear your picks too!

The Muppet Christmas carol (1992)
We love the Muppets! Get in the spirit of the season as the Muppets tell their version of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Michael Caine is Ebenezer Scrooge, Kermit the Frog is Bob Cratchit, Miss Piggy is Emily Cratchit and Robin the Frog makes for possibly the cutest Tiny Tim ever. The whole affair is narrated by “Charles Dickens”, aka Gonzo the Great, and it’s about as heartwarming as you can get! Essential Christmas viewing.

It’s a wonderful life (1946)
Possibly the classic Christmas movie of all time. George Bailey, a desperate man on the verge of suicide, is visited by his guardian angel, Clarence, who shows him how important he is to those around him and what their lives would be like without him. Our only possible bone to pick with this movie, is its somber warning of his wife Mary’s fate had he never existed – what’s wrong with being a librarian, we ask you?! (In fact, we think it’s quite a Wonderful Life!) Still, this is definitely one to watch.

Tim Burton’s The nightmare before Christmas (1993)
Jack Skellington, the pumpkin king of Halloween Town, is bored with doing the same thing every year for Halloween. One day he stumbles into Christmas Town, and is so taken with the idea of Christmas that he tries to get the resident bats, ghouls, and goblins of Halloween town to help him put on Christmas instead of Halloween – but alas, they can’t get it quite right. Sally, Jack, skeletal reindeer, gorgeous stop-motion animation from Tim Burton – perhaps not quite traditional Christmas fare, but still a wonderful watch.

Gremlins (1984)
Well, we seem to have given up on traditional holiday movies, but who can go past Gremlins? This is another movie set at Christmas, and if you like mild horror and hilarity, and enjoy Christmas, this one’s for you:
“Billy Peltzer’s father buys him a new cuddly pet. But heed these three warnings: Don’t ever get him wet. Keep him away from bright light. And the most important thing, the one thing you must never forget: no matter how much he cries, no matter how much he begs… never, never feed him after midnight!” (Library Catalogue)

Holiday Inn (1942)
A musical affair with Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, and music by Irving Berlin. A song-and-dance man leaves show business and opens up an inn in Connecticut with his former partner. Believe it or not, the song “White Christmas” was written for this film. Another classic Christmas movie, complete with lots of crooning. Watch and enjoy!

Love actually (2003)
A romantic comedy for Christmas! This film explores the ups and downs in the relationships of eight London couples in the weeks building up to Christmas. An all-star cast, including Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Keira Knightley, Laura Linney and Colin Firth. Lovely.

Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
Back to the classics. “The holiday season is in full swing when a cultured gentleman with twinkling eyes, an ample belly and a snowy beard is hired as Macy’s department store Santa. He claims his name is Kris Kringle and soon fills everyone with Christmas spirit… except for his boss, Doris Walker, who’s raising her daughter to not believe in Santa. But when Kringle is declared insane put on trial, everyone’s faith is put to the test as young and old alike face the age-old question: Do you believe in Santa Claus?” (Library Catalogue) With Natalie Wood and Maureen O’Hara.

The Polar Express (2004)
Some have found the animation a little jarring, but this is just so Christmassy we don’t believe you can go past it! An adaptation of Chris Van Allsburg’s The Polar Express.
“Santa Claus does not exist. Or does he? For one doubting boy (voice of Daryl Sabara and Tom Hanks), an astonishing event occurs. Late on Christmas Eve night, he lies in bed hoping to hear the sound of reindeer bells from Santa’s sleigh. When to his surprise, a steam engine’s roar and whistle can be heard outside his window. The conductor (voice of Tom Hanks) invites him on board to take an extraordinary journey to the North Pole with many other pajama-clad children. There, he receives an extraordinary gift only those who still believe in Santa can experience.” (Library Catalogue)

The snowman (1982)
Another adaptation of a classic book – this time Raymond Briggs’ The snowman.
“A wordless animated short film set to music that tells the story of a lonely young boy and the incredible adventure he has, when the snowman he builds one Christmas Eve magically comes to life. A gentle fable of friendship and the power of the imagination.” (Library Catalogue)

Bad Santa(2003)
This one is very definitely a black comedy – produced by the Coen Brothers. Starring Billy Bob Thornton and Lauren Graham.
“A miserable conman and his pint size partner pose as Santa and his Little Helper, only to rob department stores on Christmas Eve but run into problems when the conman befriends a troubled kid.” (Library Catalogue)

The Santa clause (1994)
Screened almost every year at Christmas along with its sequels, this is a family favourite. It’s towards the very beginning of Tim Allen’s screen career, and a lot of fun. Popcorn required.
“When a man inadvertantly kills Santa on Christmas Eve, he finds himself magically recruited to take his place.” (Library Catalogue)

So – a few of our favourites. Browse more Christmas movies on our catalogue!

Some new DVDs to arrive at Wellington City Libraries include the latest in the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ series; more duelling robots in the latest ‘Transformers’ movie; the smash hit comedy ‘Bridesmaids’; a look at the impact of the financial crisis in ‘The Company Men’; the finale in the ‘Harry Potter’ series; and the second part of the latest season of Doctor Who….

Pirates of the Caribbean. On stranger tides.
”Johnny Depp returns as Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. A tale of truth, betrayal, youth, demise and mermaids! When Jack crosses paths with a woman from his past, he’s not sure if it’s love, or if she’s a ruthless con artist using him to find the fabled Fountain of Youth. Forced aboard the ship of the most feared pirate ever, Jack doesn’t know who to fear more – Blackbeard or the woman from his past.” (Syndetics summary)

Transformers. Dark of the moon.
”Shia LaBeouf returns, armed with a new and improbably bodacious girlfriend (Rosie Huntington-Whiteley); although initially unemployed, he’s drawn back into protecting the planet from giant outer-space robots, as the Decepticons menace the Earth once again. John Turturro and Josh Duhamel return to help, and Frances McDormand and John Malkovich join the club… Throw in Hangover funnyman Ken Jeong, computer nerd Alan Tudyk doing a German accent, and the voice of Leonard Nimoy as Sentinel Prime, and you’ve got yourself a three-ring circus of extremely spirited nonsense. Just how Michael Bay wants it.” (Description from Amazon.com)

Barney’s version.
“The publication of a book accusing him of murder leads schlock television producer Barney Panofsky (Paul Giamatti) to reflect on his tumultuous life–from his troubled first marriage to his best friend sleeping with his second wife to his one true love… and how he destroyed the happiest time in his life. By turns comic and self-lacerating, Panofsky is a richly drawn character given vivid life by Giamatti… Regrettably, the women in his life aren’t as fully realized, but the strong performances from the actresses playing them (Rachelle Lefevre, Minnie Driver, and Rosamund Pike) do a lot to make up for the thinness of how they’re written… Adapted from an award-winning Canadian book, Barney’s Version feels, in the best sense, like a novel; small details and incidents build up to the picture of a man’s life…(Adapted from Amazon.com)

Bridesmaids.
“The delightful Kristen Wiig, who’s shone in dozens of supporting roles and on Saturday Night Live, hits a bull’s-eye with her first lead role in Bridesmaids. Annie (Wiig) isn’t doing so well; her bakery failed and she keeps sleeping with a good-looking louse (Jon Hamm, Mad Men), but she’s always had her best friend Lillian (Maya Rudolph, Away We Go) to buoy her up… until Lillian gets engaged. Annie becomes maid of honor, but another friend of Lillian’s–the rich and lovely Helen (Rose Byrne, Get Him to the Greek)–wants to take over that position. Misadventures with bad Brazilian food, dress fittings, an unfortunate flight to Vegas, and a sympathetic traffic cop (Chris O’Dowd from British TV comedy The IT Crowd) follow, with increasingly hilarious results. Bridesmaids successfully balances raunchy comedy and character portrait…” (Adapted from Amazon.com description)

My afternoons with Margueritte.
“A story of one of those improbable encounters that can change one’s life. In a small public garden, Germain (Gerard Depardieu) meets Margueritte (Gisele Casadesus) a little old lady who is passionate about reading. Germain discovers new life as Margueritte introduces him to the magic of books…” (Description from Real Groovy)

The company men.
“When times get tough, Boston shipping conglomerate GTX sheds employees–while CEO James Salinger (Craig T. Nelson) retains his $22 million salary. HR director Sally Wilcox (Maria Bello), the companion of married cofounder Gene McClary (Tommy Lee Jones, the standout in a strong cast), fires sales manager Bobby Walker (Ben Affleck) during the first round of cuts. Though Bobby’s wife, Maggie (Mad Men’s Rosemarie DeWitt), doesn’t think any less of him, her husband feels like a failure. She returns to work, while Bobby enters a job placement program, but he only meets with rejection. During the next round, Sally fires Gene and Phil (Chris Cooper). While the former has a financial cushion, Phil’s situation mirrors Bobby’s, except he’s 23 years older, making the situation more difficult…The Company Men charts the path of those who fail to adapt to a changing landscape, and those who do, making for a film that’s far more sobering than depressing…” (Adapted from Amazon.co.uk review)

X-men: first class.
“When Bryan Singer brought Marvel’s X-Men to the big screen, Magneto and Professor X were elder statesmen, but Matthew Vaughn (Kick-Ass) travels back in time to present an origin story–and an alternate version of history. While Charles Xavier (Laurence Belcher) grows up privileged in New York, Erik Lehnsherr (Bill Milner) grows up underprivileged in Poland. As children, the mind-reading Charles finds a friend in the shape-shifting Raven (Jennifer Lawrence) and Erik finds an enemy in Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon), an energy-absorbing Nazi scientist who treats the metal-bending lad like a lab rat. By 1962, Charles (James McAvoy) has become a swaggering genetics professor and Erik (Michael Fassbender, McAvoy’s Band of Brothers costar) has become a brooding agent of revenge. CIA agent Moira (Rose Byrne) brings the two together to work for Division X. With the help of MIB (Oliver Platt) and Hank (A Single Man’s Nicholas Hoult), they seek out other mutants, while fending off Shaw and Emma Frost (Mad Men’s January Jones), who try to recruit them for more nefarious ends…” (Adapted from Amazon.co.uk review)

Harry Potter and the deathly hallows. Part 2.
“The Deathly Hallows: Part 2 is the film all Harry Potter fans have waited 10 years to see, and the good news is that it’s worth the hype–visually stunning, action packed, faithful to the book, and mature not just in its themes and emotion but in the acting by its cast, some of whom had spent half their lives making Harry Potter movies. Part 2 cuts right to the chase: Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) has stolen the Elder Wand, one of the three objects required to give someone power over death (a.k.a. the Deathly Hallows), with the intent to hunt and kill Harry. Meanwhile, Harry’s quest to destroy the rest of the Horcruxes (each containing a bit of Voldemort’s soul) leads him first to a thrilling (and hilarious–love that Polyjuice Potion!) trip to Gringotts Bank, then back to Hogwarts, where a spectacular battle pitting the young students and professors…against a dark army.. As predicted all throughout the saga, Harry also has his final showdown with Voldemort–neither can live while the other survives… (Adapted from Amazon.com review)

Doctor Who [2005]. Series 6, Part 2 [videorecording].
“The second half of Doctor Who’s sixth series, which stars Matt Smith as the United Kingdom’s venerable time-traveling hero, answers the question that left fans breathless for most of 2011–how will the Doctor die?…To reveal the fate of the Doctor would be tantamount to high treason among Who fans, but suffice it to say that the conclusion does pull together all the threads of the sixth series in a way that may work for some fans but not at all for others. The most notable polarizing element is undoubtedly the Teselecta, a shape-shifting humanoid robot operated by miniaturized humans that also appears in the part-two opener, “Let’s Kill Hitler,”..One’s appreciation for such a complete game-changing character will largely define how Series Six, Part Two is viewed, since the outcome of the Doctor’s death is the key story line of the entire series. However, there are also a handful of solid secondary episodes buttressing the main story arc… (Adapted from Amazon.com review)

Many of our staff are avid cinephiles – here are their latest film and TV recommendations…

The killing. The complete series one.
Danish TV series ‘Forbrydelsen’ which translates literally as ‘The Crime’, became a huge hit in its homeland as well as in the UK where it screened earlier this year, going on to win the 2011 Bafta for best ‘International’ production. Focusing on the murder investigation of a young Danish girl, the show spans 20 episodes, each a day in the timeline of the investigation. As the show begins Inspector Sarah Lund is on her last day with the Copenhagen Police, about to move to Sweden with her fiancé. Ensnared in the investigation she is forced to partner with her replacement, the brash and impulsive Inspector Meyer, as the murder takes on more & more complex layers. Compared by many to The Wire the show is perhaps not quite at that level, as there a number of slightly dodgy plot twists that are employed to flesh the story out to 20 episodes. Where it excels, is in the crushing details of the human toll on those involved, absent from so many hour-long Police procedural shows, offering a kind of novelistic take on the grief of the Danish family shattered by the loss of their daughter, and the punishing weight of the investigation on the main character. Grim & intensely gripping, despite some implausible twists. Recommended to anyone who’s a fan of the current wealth of Scandinavian crime fiction, such as Henning Mankell, Jo Nesbo or Arnaldur Indriðason. Recently remade in America on AMC under the same title, and with a second series of the Danish series completed & a 3rd apparently under production. (Mark)

Fair game.
Political drama based around the events surrounding the outing of American intelligence operative Valerie Plame, played by Naomi Watts. Plame’s husband, Ex US–Ambassador Joe Wilson (played by Sean Penn) is sent to Niger on a fact finding mission to disprove an Iraqi purchase of yellowcake uranium. He negates the intelligence, yet later when The President confirms the veracity of Iraq’s WMDs, Wilson writes an op-ed piece in the Washington Post refuting this. Soon after the attention is turned on Wilson when his wife is outed as a long term CIA operative, thus ending her career. The movie then follows the aftermath of these events as their lives & marriage begin to collapse under the ensuing media fallout. Based on Plame’s book Fair Game, and her husbands book The Politics Of Truth. Helmed by Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity) the focus of the later half of the film tends to shift away from the political to the personal and while, due to the nature of the film’s topic, arguments abound as to its factual accuracy and representation, it’s still an interesting watch. (Mark)

Source code.
This Sci-Fi thriller sees Jake Gyllenhaal play a soldier who awakens in a strange capsule after a mission goes awry. His only contact with the outside is a video feed from a stony faced Vera Farmiga, who it gradually emerges is his handler in his current mission – to test new technology that allows him to go back in time (for 8-minute long chunks) & occupy the body of a civilian, in the hopes that he can pinpoint the bomber of an commuter train, and thus avert further terrorist acts. Continually thrust into the body of the train passenger he is forced to relive the 8 minutes preceding the explosions over & over while trying to piece together who on the train could be the bomber. ‘Source Code’ is an intriguing 2nd effort from Duncan Jones, after 2009’s Moon, that blends elements from Sci-Fi, Hollywood thrillers, drama & romance. And while it never quite lives up to its initial premise – due to all the juggling between the films mix of genres – it’s still an exciting & entertaining watch, treading similar themes as the Denzel Washington helmed Déjà vu or 12 Monkeys, ending up as a kind of a Sci-Fi take on Groundhog Day or Run Lola Run. (Mark)

White material.
A truly original film maker, Claire Denis was born in Paris but spent a chunk of time in French African colonies in her childhood, and has often returned there for her movies. For this movie, she revisited this source material with a prominent actress along for the ride (Isabelle Huppert) and has created another powerful movie. Without doubt Denis is one of the most outstanding film makers today, but her movies are neither blockbusters nor typical French art house movies. Her films typically depict people on the edge and the racial tensions between European and African has been a theme in her movies from time to time. The plot of this movie is simple (it’s actually one of the easiest of her movies to follow) but has probably the toughest subject matter. Set in an unnamed French-speaking African country, Maria (Huppert) desperately tries to save her coffee plantation despite the civil war that has broken out around her. She and her family are the only ‘whites’ left and their lives become endangered. The film may raise some questions with viewers… Why don’t they leave? Is this political? Denis, as usual, doesn’t explain or judge. With a constantly moving camera, she just captures the moments of the falling apart. Huppert’s amazing presence is the centre of this harsh, high-tension drama, and made this yet another memorable addition to her long and outstanding career. (Shinji)

The state within.
Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter movies) plays the British Ambassador to the US in this 6 part UK Mini-Series that, while set in the U.S, features a mostly British cast and very British sensibilities. After a terrorist bombing brings down a plane bound for London, Isaacs finds himself embroiled in a series of political conspiracies, while at the same time a former British soldier is on Death Row in Florida awaiting execution. A myriad of plot strands are all cleverly handled, and there is a great supporting cast with Sharon Gless as the Secretary of Defence, and Lennie James as the soldier on Death Row. Recommended if you enjoyed the UK version of State Of Play. (Mark)

The thick of it. The complete first series.
Hugely entertaining, viciously satiric and full of what is possibly the most swearing in any TV show ever made, ‘The Thick of it’ is the brainchild of writer-director Armando Iannucci and the basis for the 2009 move In the Loop. It focuses on an obscure UK Government Dept. – the Ministry for Social Affairs and Citizenship (DoSAC) – in which epic policy gaffe’s, budget & political crises’, & general incompetence are the byword of the day. With each successive blunder bringing them into the firing range of the PM’s Director of Communications – spin-doctor and hatchet man Malcolm Tucker, whose ferocity & foul mouthed tirades are feared by all. Filmed in fly-on-the-wall doco style it makes The Office seem like a kindergarten, featuring a great ensemble cast, with standout performances from Chris Langham as the hapless Minister Hugh, and Peter Capaldi as the outrageously sweary Tucker. This DVD actually comprises all the episodes of season one & two, with Season three also recently released locally (Mark)

Billy.
He’d been hassled, threatened, abused, even shot at…but he was, without a doubt, the most laughed at! This ‘part Maori, part Scottish’ irreplaceable William James Te Wehi Taitoko, or easier to pronounce Billy T. James, was and still is our most loved Entertainer of all time. This feature length biopic made for TV’s Sunday Theatre gives us a look into Billy’s private life, and the love of his life, his wife Lynn played by Morgana O’Reilly. ‘A love story among changing cultures in the 70’s and 80’s’. Billy was criticized for the way he portrayed Maori for a laugh. When questioned about the racist humour, as some saw it to be, his response was, “we’re laughing at him laughing at ourselves, that’s not racist, that’s people laughing”. Thank goodness that’s how the majority of NZ saw it too, having a laugh at ourselves. Even on his death bed he was making jokes, he saw a laugh in every, and in any situation; nothing was sacred. I wasn’t sure how I was going to take to some guy playing Billy who wasn’t Billy, but have to say Tainui Tukiwaho did an exceptional job playing Billy especially in the stand-up comedy scenes. It must have been quite an intimidating experience for him taking on this role. In a recent interview about this role, Tainui said it was exciting filming a piece of history and he felt honoured to have had the privilege to walk in this legend’s shoes, even just for a little while. And while we’re on a roll to commemorate, celebrate and remember Billy twenty years after his death ‘Te Movie’ will be out on DVD soon so of course I’ll have to compliment this review/opinion/recommendation with that one as well otherwise it would be like the All Blacks without the haka! And at the risk of being like the RWC, all flash haka’d out, we may be Billy T’d out as well, so watch this space anyway. Love the 70’s & 80’s soundtrack as well! (Ethel)

Some new DVDs for November include the Kenneth Branagh adaptation of the ‘Thor’ legend; the controversial Facebook documentary ‘Catfish’; the glossy adaptation of Sara Gruen’s bestselling period novel ‘Water for elephants’; and Season two of the critically acclaimed UK comedy ‘Miranda’….

Catfish.
“The slipperiness of truth and lies on the Internet gets played out in unexpected ways in the documentary Catfish. When Nev Schulman receives a painting based on a photograph of his from an 8-year-old girl named Abby in Michigan, he doesn’t realize this is going to lead to a long-distance romance with Abby’s older sister Megan… and that this romance, conducted over the phone and the Internet, will lead to something far more troubling. It would be unfair to reveal more details of Catfish, as the process of discovery is one of its pleasures–but even if you do know the sequence of events, the movie’s ultimate reward is not the revelation of secrets but the surprising and very human interactions of the movie’s last third…” (Description from Amazon.com)

Thor.
“Blending elements from the celebrated comic arcs…the story follows the headstrong Thunder God (Chris Hemsworth) as he is banished to Earth and stripped of his powers by his father Odin (Anthony Hopkins) after inadvertently starting a war with a planet of ticked-off Frost Giants. As his traitorous brother Loki (the terrific Tom Hiddleston) schemes in the wings, Thor must redeem himself and save the universe, with the aid of a beautiful scientist (Natalie Portman). Although director Kenneth Branagh certainly doesn’t skimp on the in-jokes…his film distinguishes itself by adopting a larger-than-life cosmic Shakespearean air that sets itself apart from both the cerebral, grounded style made fashionable by The Dark Knight and the loose-limbed Rat Packish vibe of the Iron Man series…” (Adapted from Amazon.co.uk review)

Miranda. Series 2.
”It doesn’t matter what Miranda attempts in life, whether it’s dating or simply dealing with her overbearing mother, she always seems to fall flat, quite literally. Since Gary left for Hong Kong, and her chance at a relationship with him has gone, Miranda has been watching telly all day in her pyjamas with a packet of biscuits for company. She is eventually persuaded, by Stevie, to stop wallowing and move on, starting a new regime and become the new her. She will get fit, lose weight and become the type of woman her boarding school nemesis Tilly, and hard to please mother, Penny, would be proud of…or will she? Full of fun and frolics, Miranda is back, better and funnier than ever…” (From Amazon.co.uk description)

Parenthood. Season 1.
”Follows four grown siblings of the far-from-perfect Braverman clan as they try to balance kids and careers, dreams and commitments, and romance or a total lack thereof. Join some of the best actors on television for a genuinely funny and heartwarming journey through the most challenging and rewarding role of a lifetime – being a parent”. (Syndetics Summary)

The conspirator.
“In the wake of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, seven men and one woman are arrested and charged with conspiring to kill the President and others. Against the ominous backdrop of post-Civil War Washington, war hero Frederick Aiken (James McAvoy) reluctantly agrees to defend the lone woman charged, Mary Surratt (Robin Wright), before a military tribunal. As the nation turns against her, Surratt is forced to rely on Aiken to uncover the truth and save her life”. (Syndetics Summary)

Dog pound.
”Dog Pound is Scum for the 21st Century, a tough and brutal film set in a young offenders institute for teenage boys that the system doesn’t know what to do with. The long-term inmates have built a rigid power structure based on fear and the guards use the prisoners to let out their own frustrations. Butch, Davis and Angel are new arrivals. They have never met before but they soon realize that the odds are stacked against them and that their only hope for getting through their sentences is if they watch each others’ backs. But friendship will only get them so far when their endurance is stretched to the limit…” (From Amazon.co.uk description)

Water for elephants.
Sara Gruen’s bestselling novel comes to glossy life in this period romance. A sparkle-free Robert Pattinson plays Jacob Jankowski, who studies veterinary medicine during the Great Depression. After a family tragedy, he loses everything… so he hops a train, where he finds himself part of the struggling Benzini Brothers Circus. Ringleader August (Christoph Waltz) has doubts about the softhearted lad, but..Jacob becomes the company vet, which leads him to platinum-blonde equestrian Marlena (Reese Witherspoon), August’s wife. The two make eyes at each other, but an affair would surely end badly, so they concentrate on their work. When Marlena’s prize steed falls ill, August purchases an elephant, hoping Rosie will turn their fortunes around, and enlists Jacob to train her…(Adapted from Amazon.co.uk description)

Here are some new DVDs to hit the shelves at Wellington City Libraries, including Simon Pegg & Nick Frost’s new Sci-Fi comedy, ‘Paul’; the acclaimed new Mike Leigh film; an adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s celebrated novel ‘Never Let Me Go’; and a modern update of ‘The Scarlet Letter’ with Emma Stone’s ‘Easy A’…

Carlos the jackal.
” For two decades, Carlos was the most wanted terrorist on earth. In various disguises and under numerous pseudonyms he headed a worldwide organization responsible for ruthless killings, hijackings and bombings. Professional revolutionary, playboy, dandy and assassin, he left a trail of destruction and broken hearts in his wake as he went about his lethal travels across the world. This is the story of Carlos the Jackal. This stunning trilogy explores the life of this enigmatic and intriguing figure in compelling detail, following Carlos, the ultimate anti-hero, across three decades of crime, controversy and scandal…” (Adapted from Amazon.com description)

Another year.
The phrase ‘national treasure’ is, inevitably, an overused one. But Mike Leigh, arguably Britain’s most consistently strong film director of the past 20 years, surely warrants the tag. His latest film, Another Year, is one of his finest, as Leigh once more draws sensational performances from his cast. The cast features Lesley Manville, Jim Broadbent and Ruth Sheen, and the premise of the film follows a married couple in the later years of their lives. We meet them across the four seasons of one year, and Another Year calmly explores the unhappiness, events and people that surround them during that time…And while Another Year may not, ultimately, be one of 2010’s most upbeat movies, it’s undoubtedly one of its very best…(Adapted from Amazon.co.uk description)

Easy A.
”Easy A is a frothy, fizzy, and funny romantic comedy for teens–and adults will love it too. Not since Clueless has a high-school heroine been able to delight both audiences, and Easy A’s Olive (the sparkling Emma Stone) is a stellar young star…Olive is a smart girl happy to stay in the shadows of high school, until her good friend, Brandon (Dan Byrd), who’s gay, begs her to pretend to have sex with him so the rest of the school will stop picking on him. She obliges, but soon she picks up not one but two reputations–as the girl who sleeps around, and, on the down-low, as the girl who’ll pretend to sleep with a guy so he won’t be branded a virgin. Soon Easy A’s complications pile up higher than the entrance of Olive’s high school, and her two story lines, neither of which reflects the real Olive, take on lives of their own…” (Adapted from Amazon.co.uk description)

Paul
”The premise Pegg and Frost have laid out for themselves as likable, sci-fi fanatic supernerds is a dream vacation starting at Comic Con, then continuing through the American Southwest in an RV visiting historic UFO sites like Area 51, the Black Mailbox, and Roswell, and finishing up at Devil’s Tower in Wyoming, the iconic centerpiece from Close Encounters of the Third Kind. After their inauspicious start, they happen upon an escaped alien who is 4 feet tall, and has the big head, classic diamond eyes, and features we’ve come to recognize as both the benevolent and evil kinds of space aliens from movies and TV. Paul crash-landed in the late 1940s and has been held prisoner by the government’s men in black…Now Paul wants to go home, and he’s found the perfect getaway with the want-to-believe team of Graeme (Pegg) and Clive (Frost), who take him to his rendezvous (at Devil’s Tower, of course)…” (Adapted from Amazon.co.uk description)

Mademoiselle Chambon.
”A love story that has bewitched audiences and critics worldwide, Mademoiselle Chambon is an ‘exquisite chamber piece’ (LA Times) that delicately captures the initial stirrings of romance. Vincent Lindon plays Jean, a burly and happily married housing contractor. One fateful afternoon, he picks up his son (Arthur Le Houérou) from school and meets the teacher, a willowy beauty named Mademoiselle Chambon (Sandrine Kiberlain). Their flirtation slowly builds over lingering glances and an impromptu violin solo in Chambon’s apartment…Jean soon comes to a crossroads, having to choose between the intensity of his bond with Chambon or the responsibility and care he feels for his wife (Aure Atika) and child…” (Adapted from Amazon.com description)

From time to time.
”Based on Lucy M Boston s best selling novel The Chimneys of Green Knowe and directed by Oscar Winner & Writer of Gosford Park and Downton Abbey Julian Fellowes…In times of war two centuries apart, two distinct worlds are linked by a single family and the house in which they live. It is 1944 and thirteen year-old Tolly Oldknow (Alex Etel, Cranford) is sent to spend Christmas with his grandmother (Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey), whilst his mother searches for news of his father in wartime London. Spending his days exploring the sprawling ancestral estate, he begins to uncover family secrets and ghosts from the past as he becomes a witness to events during the Napoleonic wars and finds himself slowly drawn into participating in the drama…(Adapted from Amazon.co.uk description)

Never let me go.
” In adapting Kazuo Ishiguro’s celebrated novel, director Mark Romanek (One Hour Photo) and screenwriter Alex Garland (Sunshine) transform dystopian fiction into period drama by presenting an alternate past in which people routinely live beyond 100–at a cost to those who make it possible. In the 1970s, Kathy (Isobel Meikle-Small) and Ruth (Ella Purnell) attend Hailsham, a British boarding school where Miss Emily (Charlotte Rampling) holds sway…By the 1980s, Kathy (a poignant Carey Mulligan), Ruth (Keira Knightley), and Tommy (Andrew Garfield) live in the country until they’re ready to fulfill their purpose. With Ruth and Tommy an item, Kathy becomes a carer, a sort of social worker. Over the years, the three go their separate ways until the 1990s, by which point their time will run out unless they can arrange for a deferral…” (Adapted from Amazon.co.uk description)

Brighton Rock.
“It was always going to be a brave move to bring another version of Graham Greene’s Brighton Rock to the big screen. Yet there’s enough of an identity within director Rowan Joffe’s take on the material to give the film a distinction of its own. Joffe recruits Sam Riley, Helen Mirren, John Hurt and Andrea Riseborough for the film, and steers a path that’s slightly different from the book. Nonetheless, the end result remains a solid thriller, with lots of little reasons to commend it…On the plus side, it’s always an interesting film to look at. The negative? Well, there’s an argument that said stylings do get in the way just a little. But then you get some strong performances, that swing things in Brighton Rock’s favour anyway…(Adapted from Amazon.co.uk description)

Many of our staff are avid cinephiles – here are their latest film and TV recommendations…

The Lincoln lawyer.
After a series of forgettable rom-com’s and pseudo-action movies Matthew McConaughey finally finds a decent role in this adaptation of the Michael Connelly novel, playing Mickey Haller, a lawyer who operates his practice out of a chauffeured Lincoln town car. When he lands the case of a rich real estate heir (Ryan Phillippe) accused of brutally assaulting an escort, he thinks he’s finally hit the money jackpot. In previous roles McConaughey’s charisma usually comes across as glib & facile but in the slightly soiled Haller character he finds a perfect fit for his smooth shtick, as he hustles clients, cuts deals, & manipulates opposing counsel. What follows is an old fashioned legal thriller, full of twists and turns as McConaughey begins to realize that his client is not all he seems to be and that he may be the one being manipulated. Full marks go to all the supporting cast (which includes Marisa Tomei as his ex-wife and fellow lawyer, & William H. Macy as his investigator) all of whom invest their characters with a real vitality. (Mark)

John Cassavetes: the collection.
John Cassavetes’ first and all improvised movie, Shadows, was made in the same year (1959) Jean-Luc Godard shot Breathless. Both films were equally fresh, bold and ahead of their time. While Godart became one of the biggest names in the movie history, Cassavetes remained an indie iconoclast. However, despite being largely ignored by Hollywood, Cassavetes was undoubtedly a most influential American filmmaker. In Cassavetes’ movies, characters are so real. They talk and move just as they feel, and sometimes even go out of the screen or get too close to the camera (becoming out of focus) – as if the rectangular frame is nonexistent. Cassavetes directed spontaneously in a cinéma vérité style to capture the real feelings of people, and his movies are made up of a sequence of live moments, not of planned and composed scenes. His influences are now mostly seen outside America, and two outstanding Romanian films, The Death of Mr. Lazarescu and 4 Months 3 Weeks and 2 Days are great examples. He had a little commercial success (‘Gloria’ is the most notable one) in his later career, but the films in this collection, which he made while facing huge financial difficulties, are treasures that enlarged movies’ horizons. (Shinji)

Inside job.
Directed by Charles Ferguson, and narrated by Matt Damon, ‘Inside Job’ is a fascinating breakdown of the chaos surrounding the global financial crisis. Beginning with the collapse of Iceland’s banks, Ferguson & Damon trace the history of vigorously pursued financial deregulation, the rise of derivatives trading, and the sub-prime mortgage fiasco, all of which led ultimately to the collapse of several major US financial institutions in 2008, and an unparalleled economic crisis. A lot of complicated financial dealing is explained clearly, and the film has a definite bipartisan feel, as both the Republican & Democratic parties are taken to task for contributing to the deregulation of Wall Street. The film also looks at the impacts on America and the unrealized flow-on effects the crisis would have on the rest of the world, apportions blame to several major Wall Street firms who made huge amounts of money while fuelling the crisis, and examines the overlooked relationship between big business & financial economists. Highly recommended viewing. (Mark)

The almighty Johnsons.
Life can be tough when your mother is a tree! This is the life of the Johnson Brothers, part Kiwi blokes, part Norse Gods. They have some supernatural powers, but to regain the rest they start a quest to find “The One”. The characters are funny, rude, sad, hopeful, weird and, at times, hopeless. This is a fabulous series and I’m looking forward to series two. (Liz)

Unknown .
Based on the fairly obscure short novel Out of my head by French writer Didier van Cauwelaert, ‘Unknown’ stars current B-Movie go-to guy Liam Neeson. Neeson plays Martin Harris, a botanist in Berlin with his wife (Mad Men’s January Jones) to present a paper at a conference. Realising he has left an important bag at the airport he quickly grabs a cab to retrieve it, only to be involved in a traffic accident that leaves him waking from a coma three days later. Attempting to return to his hotel & his wife he finds that not only does his wife claim not to recognise him, but there is another man with her who states that it is he who is in fact ‘Martin Harris’, her husband….The film’s central premise is nothing really original, reminiscent of a lot of the stories of 1940’s pulp fiction writer Cornell Woolrich not to mention the ‘identity/What is really real’ themes of numerous Philip K. Dick short stories & novels; however that doesn’t necessarily mean that the film isn’t enjoyable. Director, Jaume Collet-Serra, is clearly aiming for a slick Euro-thriller take on the 1950s Hollywood films of Alfred Hitchcock, with Neeson in the Jimmy Stewart ‘everyman role’, and he almost pulls it off. Diane Kruger offers some good support as the Gypsy cab driver who helps Neeson out and there are quite a few deft moments that see it rise above the usual thrillers. Neeson is always excellent, but if you’re expecting another variation on Taken the movie is definitely more suspense than action. Overall, better than expected. (Mark)

Honey .
This is a magical little gem. Set in a beautiful mountain forest in Turkey, it is a story about a young boy, Yusuf, focusing on the relationship with his beloved beekeeper father. Surrounded by magnificent nature, the movie unfolds Yusuf’s rural life quietly and intimately. There are enough dramas in the story, but the film gives the impression that nothing much will happen, because it is depicted in a very subtle way without any frills (and no music as well). Every scene is shot meticulously and with great delicacy. It reminds me of the beautiful European movies I saw in the ’80s such as ‘The Tree of Wooden Clogs’ or ‘Hohenfeuer’. The budding director Semih Kaplanoglu has only 5 movies under his belt so far but has already collected more than 40 awards, and this exquisite movie won the Golden Bear (Best Film) of the Berlin International Film Festival in 2010. It was well-deserved. (Shinji)

Bored to death. The complete first season.
Jason Schwartzman plays a very nebbish New York magazine writer/novelist who is stuck on his 2nd novel. Depressed after his girlfriend (Olivia Thirlby) leaves him – because he spends too much time smoking pot & drinking wine – he comes across an old copy of Raymond Chandler’s Farewell My Lovely. After immersing himself in the book he decides to place an add on Craigslist advertising himself as an unlicensed Private Investigator, as a way of getting over his doldrums. Soon he’s taking on cases that range from unfaithful boyfriends, to blackmail & missing skateboards, aided by his best friend Ray (Zach Galifianakis) – a cartoonist henpecked by his demanding girlfriend – and his boss George (Ted Danson) – the marijuana obsessed editor of an ‘Esquire’ like magazine. It’s one of those ‘love it or hate it’ shows, as the kind of humour that follows is probably not to everyone’s taste, a kind of sly take on male self-absorption filtered through Raymond Chandler pastiches, but there are some very funny moments and Ted Danson is hilarious… (Mark)

The limits of control.
Jim Jarmusch has a great sense of music. His choices of music for his movies are always intriguing – Tom Waits for Down by Law, Neil Young for ‘Dead Man’, and Broken Flowers made the Ethiopian jazz legend Mulatu Astatke an unexpected star – and for this film, he used Japanese noise-oriented rock band Boris and Sunn 0))). With their dark, ominous sound, a mystery hit-man (Isaach de Bankolé) embarks on a mysterious mission. His mission is never explained to the viewer, only that he needs to use his imagination to accomplish it. He travels in Spain, from Madrid to Seville to Almeria, and meets odd messengers, played by unique actors including Tilda Swinton and John Hurt, one after another. This repetition is musical, I thought. Every character plays variations of the motif, like Ravel’s ‘Bolero’. A beautiful cinema photography by Christopher Doyle is worthy of special mention. Doyle often works with Wong Kar-wai (another filmmaker who has great sense of music) and contributed marvellously for In the Mood for Love and 2046. In the end, the mission is accomplished abruptly (because he used his imagination) and it may puzzle you, but viewers must use their imagination too. For me this is a movie of variations, and Jarmusch shows that artistic expression can be limitless. It’s very Jim Jarmusch after all. (Shinji)

Strike back.
Based on the novel by Chris Ryan, Strike Back begins on the eve of the US invasion of Iraq with an SAS Hostage Rescue unit led by Sergeant John Porter (Richard Armitage from Spooks) and Hugh Collinson (Andrew Lincoln from ‘The Walking Dead’) sent to rescue a kidnapped British businessman. During the mission Porter disarms (instead of kills) an Iranian boy wearing a suicide bomb vest, but as the mission ends two of his team are shot and killed, and one is left in a coma. The boy is believed to be the killer, and in the ensuing investigation Porter is blamed and receives a dishonorable discharge. Seven years later, Porter – now estranged from his family – is working as a Security Guard, when the kidnapping of a British journalist gives him an unexpected chance to return to Iraq and discover what really happened 7 years ago. The Six episodes are edited into 3 separate ‘missions’, the Iraq story followed by a mission in Zimbabwe, to break an ex-soldier out of prison after he attempts to assassinate President Mugabe; & the last in Afghanistan and Pakistan, where a computer hacker is responsible for the deaths of American troops by altering missile guidance control systems. High production values (filmed in South Africa) and solid acting from the leads Armitage and Collinson compensate for the sometimes wooden dialogue. More action-focused, with less character development than similar shows such as 24 or Spooks, it nonetheless fills the gap for action fans until the nest season of ‘Spooks’ airs. (Mark)

Here are some new DVDs to hit the shelves at Wellington City Library: Hilary Swank & Jim Carey helm movies based on real events in ‘Conviction’ & ‘I Love You Phillip Morris’; Robert Duvall teams up with Bill Murry in the funereal ‘Get Low’; Philip Seymour Hoffman make his Directorial debut with the romantic comedy ‘Jack Goes Boating; and the Winchester Brothers are back fighting the Devil himself in the latest season of ‘Supernatural’….

Conviction.
” Hilary Swank gives another tremendous performance–steely, determined, vulnerable–in the courtroom/family drama Conviction. The film is based on a real case, of Betty Anne Waters (Swank), who as a last resort puts herself through law school to take on the case of her brother, Kenny (Sam Rockwell, also outstanding). Kenny is convicted of murder, despite a weak prosecution case, but Betty Anne can’t get any lawyer to explore a retrial or appeal. Director Tony Goldwyn (Dexter, Damages) keeps the action moving along crisply and believably, even during the almost interminable stretches of Kenny’s imprisonment…” (Adapted from Amazon.com)

I love you Phillip Morris.
”Based on a true story, I Love You, Phillip Morris follows Steven Russell (Carrey) from his beginnings as a cop who abuses his position to learn his birth mother’s identity to a spectacular con man who embezzles enormous sums of money from a food-service corporation. During one of his bouts in prison, Russell meets Phillip Morris (Ewan McGregor, Moulin Rouge!), a soft-spoken fellow prisoner who becomes the love of Russell’s life–but who can’t take Russell’s free-wheeling, anything to break free and live life to the criminal fullest approach…The flow of the story feels much like a Coen Bros. movie (Fargo or Raising Arizona) with its vivid, quirky characters and unpredictable plot…”(Adapted from Amazon.com)

Get low.
After losing the love of his life 40 years before, Felix Bush (Robert Duvall) has lived like a hermit ever since. With death on the horizon and guilt weighing him down, the “crazy ol’ nutter” decides to go out with a party. As he tells funeral director Frank Quinn (Bill Murray in top form), “Time for me to get low.”.. Before he leaves this mortal coil, Felix longs to hear the tall tales the town folk have been spreading about him. While preparing for the big day, he reconnects with Charlie (Bill Cobbs), a preacher, and Mattie (Sissy Spacek), an old flame who returned to the county after her husband’s death. Their encounters, which have a gentle sweetness, encourage Felix to share the truth he’s kept bottled up inside for decades…” (Adapted from Amazon.com)

Rabbit hole.
“What happens after the unthinkable happens? Rabbit Hole, based on the Tony-winning play by David Lindsay-Abaire and deftly directed by John Cameron Mitchell, slowly reveals the answer: something else unthinkable. Rabbit Hole is a moving, dark character study of what happens to a happily married couple, Becca and Howie (Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart), who suddenly lose the love of their life, their 4-year-old son. As in real life, the grief portrayed in Rabbit Hole takes peculiar twists and turns, and the deep sorrow and tragedy of the story is leavened by dark humor…Rabbit Hole is one of the most moving dramas and one of the saddest films a viewer will feel gratified to embrace…’’ (Adapted from Amazon.com)

Supernatural. The complete fifth season.
“How’s this for a story arc: the Gates of Hell are opened, unleashing both Lucifer himself and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, and bringing to an end civilization as we know it…This is fantasy storytelling for television at its best–broad in scope and heavy with special effects, but never forgetting that the core of the show is the relationship between Sam and Dean and their joint quest to rid the world of evil. Both are well represented here in a season that brings the show’s main story line to its fitting and satisfying conclusion…” (Adapted from Amazon.com)

Jack goes boating.
“Philip Seymour Hoffman plunders social awkwardness for comic effect in Jack Goes Boating. At first, the movie seems like a sad-sack love story: Jack (Hoffman, Academy Award winner for Capote), a limo driver who likes reggae music for its positivity, gets set up with Connie (Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone), a trouble-magnet telemarketer, by their mutual friends Clyde (John Ortiz, Fast & Furious) and Lucy (Daphne Rubin-Vega, Wild Things). But as Jack and Connie take tentative, sometimes clumsy steps toward love, Clyde and Lucy’s relationship threatens to collapse from betrayal and jealousy….” (Adapted from Amazon.com)

Doctor Who [2005]. Series 6, Part 1.
“The Doctor returns, alongside newlyweds Amy and Rory, to face monsters and mysteries and adventures across all time and space. Together they find themselves in Sixties America, battling the invasion the world forgot, then journey on the high seas of 1696 aboard a pirate ship, to solve the mystery of Siren. In a bubble universe at the very edge of reality, the Doctor meets an old friend with a new face, and in a monastery on a remote island in the near future, an industrial accident takes on a terrible human shape. And waiting for them, at the end of all this, is the battle of Demon’s Run, and the Doctor’s darkest hour. Can even the truth about River Song save the Time Lord’s soul? Only two things are certain. Silence will fall. And a good man is going to die” (Syndetics Summary)

Limitless.
”Limitless isn’t exactly a morality tale, but the made-up drug that turns Eddie Morra (Bradley Cooper) from a scuzzy loser into a master of the universe does become a metaphor for ambition, menace, devastation, and ultimate success. Eddie is a writer who can’t write, his girlfriend (Abbie Cornish) just dumped him, and his squalid lifestyle has driven him to the breaking point. After a chance meeting with his mysterious ex-brother-in-law, he’s offered change in the form of a little transparent button, a pill code-named NZT that allows the user to access 100 percent of their brain. After he pops it, Eddie is transformed. Everything he’s ever heard, seen, glanced at, or passed by becomes neatly ordered in his mind. He has total recall, total access to knowledge both known and unknown, and he understands exactly what to do….” (Adapted from Amazon.co.uk)

Many of our staff are avid cinephiles – here are their latest film and TV recommendations…

The American
George Clooney gives a nuanced performance as the titular character in this adaptation by Anton Corbijn of the novel ‘A very private gentleman’ by Martin Booth. He plays a hit-man who hides out in an Italian town after an attempt on his life, spending his time customizing a gun for another colleague. His boss advises him to lay low, but he gradually begins to fall for a local prostitute he begins seeing. Slow moving with great visuals, it’s definitely not an ‘action’ film, as the movie has a distinctly European feel – almost at times verging on a parody. The motivations of other characters – such as who & why someone is trying to kill Clooney’s character – are only obliquely hinted at, and the whole film seems more of a mood piece/character study. However, it still manages to sustain a palpable degree of tension until it unravels in the third act – which becomes a bit predictable, as Corbijn goes for the ‘anti-Hollywood’ ending, which in itself has become a bit of a cliché. Still, it’s enjoyable enough if you’re after something a bit different. (Mark)

Bhowani junction
It is a wonder that the classic films of the forties and fifties have not been adopted as a tool for ‘Social Improvement’ by the political right. After watching this movie you will never again watch a DVD in your pyjamas – lounging or otherwise – and will never let war or revolution see you anything less than immaculately groomed and clad in a crisp white shirt and classic skirt or trousers. Women will not let the cat see them without full make-up, nor men without a close shave and heavily Brycreemed hair. The strict dress and social codes are the complete antithesis of grunge and “anything goes” attitudes of today. It is all rather refreshing. Although this film is very dated it does deal with an interesting time in history – that of imminent Indian Independence – and interesting social issues such as the plight of the Anglo-Indians and the difficulty of cross-cultural relationships. Ava Gardner is captivating as Victoria Jones, a young woman searching for identity in the new India and Stewart Granger equally so as Captain Rodney Savage searching for his. There is plenty of action, light and colour and plenty of glorious India. All in all a good watch and warmly recommended. (Sue)

The killer inside me.
Flawed but interesting stab at adapting crime writer Jim Thompson’s seminal novel ‘The Killer Inside Me’ by Michael Winterbottom. Set in small town American South circa the 1950’s, Casey Affleck takes the lead role of Lou Ford, a seemingly polite well adjusted Deputy Sheriff engaged to a local schoolteacher (Kate Hudson). However, a meeting with a prostitute (Jessica Alba) that he is supposed to run out of town provides a catalyst for his re-emerging pathology, and he gradually begins to orchestrate a murderous scheme to gain revenge on a local businessman that he blames for the death of his step-brother. The novel, like a lot of Thompson’s work, is a first person narrative in which the reader gradually becomes aware that the likeable narrator is not all he/she appears to be – and is often completely unhinged – but by then the character has engendered enough sympathy or empathy that you keep reading, no matter how weird & disturbing things get. Thompson’s novels were controversial for their time, and violent, but being published in the 1950’s the majority of the violence and general depravity was implied. Winterbottom, however, decides to push the violence to the forefront of the story, to the extent that it feels exploitative, and specifically during the lengthy drawn out beating of Alba’s character, truly repellent. None of which adds to the viewer’s engagement with the lead character. Affleck also seems too physically slight for the role, his accent off, lacking any of the ‘good old boy’ southern charm of the book’s narrator. But that seems like what Winterbottom was after, a bunch of choices that defy whatever conventional wisdom exists in the making of a ‘post-modern’ neo-noir such as this The overall result is that while some of it works, some of it doesn’t, and it tends to end up in the ‘fascinating but repellent’ category of films. Worth watching if you’re a Thompson fan, or just intrigued, but be warned, the sadomasochistic violence is pretty extreme in parts. (Mark)

Somewhere.
A celebrity director makes a movie about a celebrity’s life. This probably makes your expectation high but Sophia Coppola is not a usual director. A bit like ‘Lost in Translation’ it’s a story about a big movie star, who appears to have everything but in fact has nothing, and restores himself after spending a chunk of time with his daughter for the first time. However, in this movie, there is no drama or structure which mainstream movies usually offer. It is subtle and slow-going, and driven by the mood rather than the storyline. This has created some criticism such as ‘nothing happens’, but being stereotypical is the last thing you can expect from Sophia Coppola. She is obviously visual focused and true to her cinematic instinct. She knows what she wants, and that’s why she employed the cinematographer Harris Savides who is known for his works on Gus Van Sant’s ‘Elephant’ and ‘Last Days’. With his camera, she just lets the movie go as if it’s floating clouds in the sky. So, this is a unique, let-it-be movie. Chill out and enjoy. (Shinji)

Primer.
‘Primer’ caused a stir when it first came out, winning the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance. Made for only $7000, the film focus on 2 young entrepreneurial inventors who work out of a garage. When an experiment goes awry they discover that its side effect has given them the ability to travel back in time several hours, and begin to experiment with their new found technology, initially using it to make a fortune on the stock market. What follows is literally impossible to explain, let alone understand, as ‘Primer’ makes David Lynch seem linear by comparison. But that’s part of its low budget charm. As the inventors discover how to extend the length of time they can travel back to, various future/alternate ‘versions’ of themselves begin doing things that seem to have no explanation…or do they. It’s all completely mind-bending, but fascinating to watch unfold. Recommended if you’re a fan of films like ‘Lost Highway’, ‘Donnie Darko’, ‘Memento’, or ‘Moon’. (Mark)

Matariki.
“Contains violence, drug use and offensive language” …not an appealing intro I thought into a movie titled ‘Matariki’ that is, as I know it to be. An abandoned car, a brutally beaten Rugby League star, a dysfunctional couple having a baby, a loner and his beloved dog, and two runaway teenagers. A chain of events and lives although apart are stories moving together to reach a common goal or means to an end. Saying goodbye and starting again. ‘Matariki is when the Maori New Year starts. Planting begins for the new season, a new beginning. It’s a very special time of the year. The film brings together these characters, all looking for a way forward. With new beginnings there has to be goodbyes. We have the Pakeha wife of the beaten Rugby League star who fears his Maori family, Maori custom and protocol will over rule her wishes as his wife. How can there be a compromise and a way forward? The runaways, what are they looking for, where are they going to? And the dysfunctional couple after having their baby, what future does ‘Matariki’ (as she is beautifully named) have? ‘The violence in the film I found very hard to watch, and then there were the heart felt scenes, the most affecting ’saying goodbye to a brother, a son, a nephew, a cousin, a friend, a husband’. Getting past the violence, drug use and offensive language, I thought this was another well made, on a shoe string budget ‘only in New Zealand’ movie. Lastly a few words from the co-writer/director Michael Bennett which pretty much sums up the substance of the film “You can chose to look down at the concrete under your feet, or you can chose to look up at the stars!” (Ethel)

Tangled.
Rapunzel with attitude! This will appeal to children and adults alike. The animation is stunning. All the characters have personality to burn and Maximus the horse alone would be worth watching. (Liz)

Parks and recreation. Season one.
Quirky comedy from the creators of ‘The Office’ (the US version). Saturday Night Live comedienne Amy Poehler (‘Baby Mama’) stars as a Leslie Knope, a naïve small town Government employee determined to turn a giant ‘pit’ into a new public park. The ‘mockumentary’ style makes it seem a bit derivative at first, but over the course of the season it develops its own style & characters and gets better as it goes along. The supporting characters are all pretty funny, especially Aziz Ansari, as her slack colleague, and Nick Offerman as her deadpan boss, who doesn’t believe in ‘government’ of any kind. (Mark)

Let me in.
Chloe Grace Moretz (Kick-Ass) and Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Road) take the two leading roles in this remake of the Swedish film ‘Let the right one in’. Helmed by Matt Reeves (‘Cloverfield’) ‘Let Me In’ relocates the action to middle-America in the 80’s, essentially structuring the story of the lonely & bullied Owen (who thinks he has found a friend in his mysterious new neighbour Abby, only to discover she is a vampire frozen in time as a 12 year old girl) essentially same way as the original Swedish movie. Remakes tend to suck as a rule, and it’s hard not to compare the two, but taken on its own merit it’s a pretty good movie – probably more enjoyable if you haven’t seen the original. It’s the small touches that differentiate it from the Swedish film: the unnecessary use of CGI when Abby transforms into a vampire, the less naturalistic leads, the heavier score, more of a focus on the ‘police procedural’ aspect). So while some things don’t work as well, others do work (such as the way the camera never quite focuses on Owen’s mother) and the US version has some nice touches. All in all it lacks the subtlety of the Swedish movie, but that was probably to be expected, and at the end of the day it retains the emotional heart of the original: a belief that friendship can sometime be more important than anything else. (Mark).

The insatiable moon.
This is the film adaptation of the novel of the same name by Mike Riddell about real people and events. Arthur, (Rawiri Paratene) of Whale rider fame, who believes he is the second son of God, and his mentally challenged loyal friends live in a boarding house in posh Ponsonby, managed by Bob (Greg Johnson), who although foul-mouthed and gruff, genuinely loves and cares for them. With threats to close the boarding house down Arthur puts his heavenly credentials into action, only to have his own personal decline into madness realized, and is soon admitted into the psychiatric ward. The film is light-hearted and funny, another New Zealand film made on a shoestring budget with a brilliant cast of NZ talent, kudos to the men who play the ‘undesirable, mentally challenged’ boarders, and Ian Mune as the street bum alcoholic Norm. It’s about people with mental health problems, the discrimination they often face, and what is acceptable to/in society. With strong messages told with great compassion, humanity and humour, there are powerful and thought provoking scenes and performances throughout the movie. A line from the film I found endearing: Norm is asked “What does he think of Arthur?” …his reply “He’s the second Son of God, …or as mad as a chook!” The soundtrack’s heavenly as well. (Ethel)