T H U R S D A Y 2 3 A P R I L -
W E D N E S D A Y 2 9 A P R I L 2 0 2 6
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The Wellington Film Society takes a break for the ANZAC day holiday but returns, Embassy, Monday 4 May at 6.00pm and Tuesday 5 May at 8.30pm, with
HEAT Michael Mann, USA, 1995
Michael Mann's masterpiece is a three-hour crime epic, a love/hate letter to the city of Los Angeles, a scathing Balzacian view of a society corrupt from top to bottom, and a vision of the universe as a space contested over by the fractious armies of crime and the law. Opening with a spectacular armoured-car robbery that degenerates into mass murder, it follows the consequences of the raid, the plans for its successor, the response of the police, led by detective Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino) and the consequences of it all for wives, families, girlfriends and innocent bystanders. The cops and the crooks are both constituted like armies, with generals, ranks and special skills assigned - and doppelgangers in the opposing team. Mann is less interested in moral questions than in professionalism as a code worth adhering to, no matter which side of the law one finds oneself on. Mann's equal sympathies for both sides are always evident. He also loves Los Angeles at night, and rarely has it been evoked as beautifully as it is here.
- John Patterson, The Observer.
Members only.
Film Society Memberships are available at any time on line.
Film Festivals to note:
To mark it's 80th birthday, the Wellington Film Society presents a bonus weekend-long mini-festival of eight films, one from each decade of its history. Embassy Friday 5 - Sunday 7 June: for members only. Another reason to join.
Details here: Playing the Part.
The annual Architecture & Design Film Festival will play in Wellington this year at the Embassy and Light House Cuba from 14 May till 1 June. Brochures available from the venues or on line.
The annual NZIFF will play in Wellington this year 12 - 23 August (encores 24 - 29 August). Mark the dates in your calendar now. More details as they become avaliable.
If you have a festival due to run in Wellington and it's not listed here, contact the Cinemaster.
This site relies on the various cinemas having their own websites up to date to access their screening times.
The paragraphs describing the films starting this week are in most cases adapted from the linked reviews.
For comments and movie news, contact the Cinemaster at
filmster@gmail.com.
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s t a r t s t h i s w e e k!
MICHAEL -
By focusing so much on Michael Jackson's troubled youth and ascent to superstardom, the film conveniently sidesteps the scandals that plagued him from 1993 until his death in 2009 and soured the word "Neverland" in the pop-cultural lexicon. Indeed, Antoine Fuqua's film, written by John Logan and approved and authorized by the Jackson estate, is interested less in exploring who Michael really was than in rehabilitating his public image.
Also Penthouse, Empire, Queensgate, Monterey, Reading, Coastlands and Shoreline.
MR NOBODY AGAINST PUTIN -
Almost exclusively assembled from footage Pavel "Pasha" Talankin, a charismatic Russian teacher himself captured, this documentary from director David Borenstein (Talankin is credited as co-director), chronicles the disturbing militarization of Russian schools in the wake of the war in Ukraine. Through the eyes of its delightfully brave, yet utterly relatable subject (also the de facto cinematographer), this terrifying, revelatory and poignant expose offers an unseen human angle on an ongoing conflict that's continues to be widely addressed in documentary cinema.
Also Lighthouse.
PUT YOUR SOUL ON YOUR HAND AND WALK -
Iranian filmmaker Sepideh Farsi's film is not simply a documentary, but a poignant individual's record. It is a reminder that every number we see on the news is a complex web of individuality. The film follows the relationship between Farsi and a 24-year-old photojournalist, Fatma Hassona. Farsi's film prioritizes the personal while still allotting asides for context. But this film belongs to Fatma, her resilience, and her enthusiastic smile, which never fade upon each answered call. From the NZIFF.
EXIT 8 -
This Cannes Film Festival out-of-competition midnight selection, is indeed the adaptation of a videogame. But instead of reminding you of its origins, the film readily invites comparisons with cult classics like Cube and Run Lola Run. The rules of the game are simple. The player is lost inside a subway station - quite frankly, who hasn't been? Except in this case, they are stuck in a seemingly endless loop of the same passageway. Though it's purposely repetitive, there's nary a dull moment. Is the original videogame this much fun?
Also Lighthouse and Monterey.
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