Leigh way for world building
Director Mike Leigh’s trademark extemporising continues in his new film Hard Truths, extending to anti-pigeon devices and very specific table choices, writes Vanessa Thorpe.
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Pitt graces region — maybe
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Pitt graces region — maybe
It is more rugby, racing and beer territory, but Hollywood A-lister Brad Pitt is believed to have been in South Otago.
Anora takes top awards, Brody wins second Oscar
Anora takes top awards, Brody wins second Oscar
Anora, the story of a sex worker who gets a chance at a new life when she marries a wealthy client on a whim, has won five Academy Awards, including the coveted best picture Oscar.
Auteur’s conscious cinema gives us a sentient perspective
Auteur’s conscious cinema gives us a sentient perspective
Transcendent and singular, RaMell Ross dramatically pioneers a new cinematic language, revitalising the art of literary adaptation in his retelling of Colson Whitehead’s prize-winning 2019 novel, Nickel Boys.
Obituary: cult auteur spied the surreal in the American experience
Obituary: cult auteur spied the surreal in the American experience
David Lynch left behind the cinematic descriptor ‘‘Lynchian’’, described in the Oxford English Dictionary as "juxtaposing surreal or sinister elements with the mundane".
Popcorn rom-com mashed with slasher
Popcorn rom-com mashed with slasher
Heart Eyes is a competent convergence of ’90s and 2000s-inspired romantic comedies with the contemporary slasher revival of the past decade.
Brad Pitt arrives in NZ before heading to Queenstown
Brad Pitt arrives in NZ before heading to Queenstown
Hollywood superstar Brad Pitt has reportedly arrived in Auckland on his way to Queenstown to film an action thriller.
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Ex-city producer wins Bafta best doco gong
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Ex-city producer wins Bafta best doco gong
A Bafta-winning producer says her journey to the prestigious award began with her first job at Dunedin’s local news station.
BAFTAS: Conclave, The Brutalist big winners
BAFTAS: Conclave, The Brutalist big winners
Papal selection thriller Conclave and period drama The Brutalist are the big winners at the BAFTA Film Awards, taking four prizes each.
Conclave, The Brutalist & Anora vie for BAFTAs
Conclave, The Brutalist and Anora battle for best film at BAFTAs
Hollywood stars descend on London on Sunday for the BAFTAs, Britain's top movie honours, where the papal thriller Conclave and period drama The Brutalist look set to face competition from Anora.
Bridget’s diary snaps back open
Bridget’s diary snaps back open
As a fourth film finds it way to the cinema, is it time to stop bashing Bridget Jones, asks Barbara Ellen.
Fourth instalment brings lacklustre saga to a close
Fourth instalment brings lacklustre saga to a close
If Brave New World is supposed to introduce us to the next stage in Marvel’s "new world" then the team behind the film did a poor job being "brave".
Returning to the scene of the crime
Returning to the scene of the crime
In 2018, Christian Gudegast directed Den of Thieves, an action heist movie much in the vein of Michael Mann’s 1995 classic Heat melded with an energetic Ocean’s plot: an aggressively masculine retelling of the former combined with a sleazier version of the latter’s narrative.
A lusty contemplation of power
A lusty contemplation of power
An impressively tasteful film about lascivious desire.
Spotlight on the dying days
Spotlight on the dying days
In Maria, Angelina Jolie’s fully embodies the idea of the artist as insecure diva.
Ardern doco wins award at Sundance Film Festival
Ardern doco wins award at Sundance Film Festival
A new documentary about former Prime Minister Dame Jacinda Ardern has won a top award at the Sundance Film Festival.
Obituary: Marshall Brickman, screenwriter
Obituary: Marshall Brickman, screenwriter
Woody Allen’s key collaborator, Marshall Brickman, won an Oscar for Annie Hall and also collaborated with the US film-maker on Sleeper, Manhattan and Manhattan Murder...
Obituary: Jim Abrahams, film-maker
Obituary: Jim Abrahams, film-maker
Jim Abrahams’ movies would make few art house critics’ best-of-all-time lists, but they did make people laugh.
From Wicked to wow: Oscar players ranked
From Wicked to wow: Oscar players ranked
The 2025 best picture Oscar nominees all rank, just some a little higher, writes Amy Nicholson.
A lusty contemplation of power
A lusty contemplation of power
When a chief executive comes across a hot intern who awakens her to a world of transgressive pleasure, she risks everything to attain the sexual satiety he provides — that’s missing from her marriage.