Tom Cruise and Bryan Singer will be teaming up again for a second World War II drama, but this time Cruise will be switching sides and playing the part of a British Major. Clayton Frohman and Edward Zwick are writing the screenplay based on the book The Man Who Never Was, a true story about the work of British Intelligence during the war.
Playing the key role of Major William Martin is what appealed to Cruise, who sees the role as being a challenge to pull off. It’s rumoured that Cruise has approached Damian Lewis (Band of Brothers) to star along side him, to help lend a little credibility to the role.
With the script still in the writing stage, no filming date has been set, though locations in England and Spain have been investigated for suitability and availability.
Advertising censors have branded an anti-domestic violence advertisement starring Keira Knightley too shocking for British TV, and are refusing to allow it to be broadcast unless key scenes are cut.
The ad shows the actor returning home and being confronted by a violent boyfriend who accuses her of having an affair with a co-star, before beginning a vicious attack with Knightley being repeatedly kicked.
The ad was made for the charity Women’s Aid, and shown in British cinemas this month. Charities working to combat domestic violence called the decision by Clearcast, the advertising approval body, “pathetic”, arguing that, in banning the ad, it was shielding the public from the reality of domestic violence.
“It seems pathetic. It is really important to raise awareness about domestic violence, and TV gets into people’s homes,” said Sandra Horely, chief executive of Refuge, a charity which assists women and children escaping from domestic violence.
The ad has been viewed more than a million times on YouTube.
Independent regulator the Advertising Standards Authority has received two complaints from the public about the new campaign. [nzherald]
In 2008 we marked the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration Human Rights by asking whether the language of human rights was still relevant – after all, the world we are living in today is quite different to that of 1948. The answer to that question was unequivocally ‘yes’ based on the number of you who came to the festival.
This year, the festival is taking place in a period of heightened uncertainty and change. Many of us are experiencing personal anxiety as we consider the security of our jobs and homes. As we look to secure our personal wellbeing we may be faced with making difficult decisions that affect our every day rights and freedoms or the rights and freedoms of others. We will need to consider how we live, work, and spend our leisure time. It is also possible that we will reconsider how others live, work, and whether they even have leisure time.
When faced with decisions such as these, the temptation is to look to our own interests rather than the interests of the community we live in; human rights may be perceived as only for some deserving sectors of society, but not for those who are on the margins. And when times get tough, it is easy for human rights to be ignored or side-lined by politicians who claim they have to make “tough choices for the sake of our own safety, security and long term benefit”.
As we said in 2008, these rights and freedoms have been realised only after considerable time, perseverance, effort, bloody mindedness and struggle. Human rights promote the inherent dignity of the person. They are inalienable, indivisible and universal and we cannot pick and choose who is entitled to the benefits of these fundamental rights anymore than we can decide when these rights apply and in what circumstances. We must therefore, ensure these fundamental rights and freedoms are celebrated, kept alive and not eroded by the politics of pragmatism and expediency.
Today, more than ever, these rights and freedoms give us the opportunity to debate, discuss and shape the society we want to live in and want our children to live in. Do we want a society divided by self-interest or are we searching for something more?
The Human Rights Film Festival seeks to show that we have the ability and opportunity to work together to make our vision of a better society a reality and bring about meaningful change. There is an opportunity to promote a shared vision of a society where the dignity, rights and freedoms of others are valued so that we can live in a world that is environmentally and economically sustainable. Now seems to be a pretty good time to make that choice and that is our challenge to you. We have no illusions that this is a difficult path to choose but it is a path that other communities have been down before and we are not alone.
This year’s festival theme is ‘freedom’ and we are screening films that highlight the extent to which individuals and communities will go to exercise their freedoms and try and achieve change for the better. They are not always successful, but neither is that always the point. These films whilst recording their successes also bear witness to the struggles that have taken place and continue to take place.
Our line-up this year is particularly strong with high quality documentaries from around the globe, touching on a wide range of human rights issues. Most have won international recognition. We continue to bring you films with a New Zealand connection and encourage the film-makers to attend the festival and participate on the panels. We hope other New Zealand film-makers will be inspired to take up the challenge and explore human rights themes through the medium of film in the future.
On behalf of all the volunteers and sponsors who help put this festival together, the film makers and the individuals and communities who share with us their stories; thank you for your support and belief in a better world.
Boris van Beusekom and Carolyn Brown
Festival Directors
Features
TATTOOED UNDER FIRE
Tattooed Under Fire is a grippingly intimate, character-driven portrait of war-bound and returning soldiers as they go under the tattoo needle – sharing their secrets and confessing their fears. Each soldier’s story is an evocative, poignant and highly personal look at the human and cultural cost of war. Website + Trailer
TAPOLOGO
In Freedom Park, a squatter settlement in South Africa, a group of HIV-infected former sex-workers create a network called Tapologo. They become home based carers for their community, transforming degradation into solidarity and squalor into hope.
VICTORIA
Victoria Donda Perez is one of the first babies born in a clandestine detention centre during the Argentinean military dictatorship of the late 1970’s. Thirty years on Victoria embarks on a journey of self-discovery to find out what happened to her parents.
SAMPARI
Every year, indigenous leaders from all over the world come to the United Nations in New York, to participate in the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. Viktor Kaisiepo, the representative of Western Papua comes to defend the rights of his people, colonised by Indonesia since 1969. Website + Trailer
UPSTREAM BATTLE
Native Americans in Northern California fight for their fish and the survival of their culture. An energy corporation is messing up their river with a series of hydro-power dams, contributing to one of the worst fish die-offs in U.S. history.
KICKING IT
In the summer of 2006, while the football world’s attention was focused on Germany, thousands of players around the globe were training hard and competing to be part of the World Cup… The Homeless World Cup. The film follows seven players in their own tough worlds as they confront the daily challenges of life on the streets, battle drug and alcohol addiction, and fight for the right to be recognised as human beings.
THE NEW TEN COMMANDMENTS
United by a single theme – human rights in Scotland – this film draws together some of the most talented filmmakers and visual artists based in Scotland, to make a film that communicates a variety of artistic visions whilst exploring the real life stories of those for whom the Universal Declaration of Human Rights has intimate meaning.
NOBODY’S PERFECT
Eleven people are preparing to pose naked for a book of photos. They were born disabled, like the director himself, due to the disastrous side-effects of Thalidomide. These fascinating characters are working in areas such as politics, the media, sport, astrophysics and acting and have learned to live with their disability to an impressive level of “normality”. Website + Trailer
JOURNALISTS
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the federal state of Belarus regained its independence. The cautious democratisation process was nipped in the bud when in 1994 Alexander Lukashenko won the presidential elections and went on to reign with an iron fist. Journalists reveal how Lukashenko systematically undermines the ability of the media to record events in Belarus.
FLYING ON ONE ENGINE
For a number of years, Dr. Sharadkumar Dicksheet has been coming to the aid of poor families in India to perform life-changing surgery. Flying on One Engine tells the remarkable story of Dr Dicksheet, a US plastic surgeon who is partially paralysed, battled oesophageal cancer, suffered two heart attacks and a cerebral haemorrhage. He has turned his back on the opportunity to earn a lot of money operating on Americans to conduct marathon surgery sessions in India.
8
Nearly 3 billion people live below the poverty line earning less than 2 US dollars a day. In 2000, all the governments committed to halve poverty by 2015. But what is the situation today? Global warming, famine, financial crisis: the challenges are now global and more urgent than ever. Eight directors give us their free and personal vision about our world. Website + Trailer
2009 Dates Wellington
7 – 15 May
Paramount Theatre
Choosing best of lists is never easy, especially when it comes to movie posters. It’s hard to separate emotional attachment to the film from the practical design aesthetics that determine what makes a good poster. But I figured I’d give it a go. Here’s my top five movie posters:
#5 Anatomy of a Murder
This is the only poster on my list for a film that I haven’t seen, but it’s simplicity and bold design, along with the fragmented body conjures up just the right feel for an in depth look at a murder.
#4 Maria Full of Grace
It’s a combination of the iconic simplicity of the image along with the title that creates a mental image of someone partaking of holy communion. But then you look closers and it’s a drug mule swallowing comdoms full of narcotics to be transported across the border.
#3 Silence of the Lambs
Simple, yet for some reason, disturbing. Manages to say nothing, whilst saying a whole lot.
#2 Cloverfield
It’s the combination of the image that has some many subtle visual clues, and the deliberatly worded tag ling; some thing. Not something, but some thing. Think about it. Then explore the imagery, it demands that you take more than one look to discover the full story.
#1 Hard Candy
It’s only after seeing this movie that you realise just how clever the simple but striking composite image really is. Can’t really say more, would spoil the movie for anyone who hasn’t seen it. And if you havn’t seen it, you really should.
Earlier this week there were reports about a top secret Wolverine reshoot happening on the Fox studio lot, mere days before the movie was scheduled to be released in theatres. Although the purpose was being kept under wraps, it seemed to be related to the leaked workprint and a last minute directive to add new footage to the final cut. Well, thanks to Alex over at FirstShowing.net we can now say with some certainty that the reshoots were actually held to create multiple endings for the film — that is, a variety of post-credit stingers.
Director Gavin Hood said that Fox had a tradition of hiding “easter eggs” in their films (the hidden scene at the end of X-Men: The Last Stand, for example), and although he didn’t say how many different endings there would be, at least one of them is related to the Deadpool character. [filmjunk]
The premise for this History Channel documentary was promising – what would the planet be like after the demise of humanity. I was looking forward to an apocalyptic feast. Throwing off my Christian goggles and possible scenarios relating to any biblical assumptions about the future, I was ready to view an in-depth look on the negative effect human consumption and waste would have on the future of the earth.
I was bitterly disappointed. What I was treated to was a documentary that felt like a neutered, toothless dog. It was propped up by computer graphics, poor ones at that, and relied on viewer having no critical analysis whatsoever. This is not a documentary for people with a questioning mind. It poses no good questions and offers no deep answers. It failed to catch my attention to the point that I actually fell asleep.
The scenario it poses involves the mass disappearance of humanity all in the blink of an eye – they give no scenario where this may happen, so I was left trying to fill in the blank that the rest of the film was built on by conjuring up a mass rapture of all of humanity in my head. That’s right ladies and gentlemen, the documentary was built on a scenario that could not possibly happen and they offered no explanation for.
Most of it just felt silly and cheap – it was truly a made for TV documentary. Laughable highlights included conjecture about what would happen to household dogs – first they would need to get out of the houses they are locked in… There was also the visit to Chernobyl, which has dramatically recovered from the nuclear catastrophe there. Chernobyl is used in the documentary to affirm the re-growth of nature after 20 years of no humans, except that Chernobyl was visibly behind the projected growth in the cheap graphics.
In its defence, it was kind of cool watching the cheap graphical corrosion of some of humanities engineering masterpieces, but that’s about where the fascination ended for me.
The possibilities it could have delved into were immense – asking the questions about what could lead to the demise of humanity and looking at how our abuse of nature would leave large scars. It could have explained eco-systems better and delved into how whole eco-systems have developed around the human impact on the earth. It scratches the surface of these, but it is up to the inquisitive and analytical mind to play these scenarios out as the documentary drones on to the next display of cheap graphics.
My advice, avoid it and don’t waste your time.
Reviewed by: Frank Ritchie Rating: G – Suitable for general audiences. Released on: April 2nd, 2009 Year of Original Release: 2008 Length (Minutes): 94 Media Format: DVD Languages: English Director: David de Vries Studio: ABC
Welcome to our occasional feature, Friday Night Frights. We’re kicking off this look at the darker side of movies with the latest release from the Asylum label distributed by Madman, a movie titled The Signal.
What looked like it was going to be a full on horror/slasher film, actually turned into a mind bending journey through the blood soaked minds of the writing and directing team of David Bruckner, Jacob Gentry and Dan Bush.
The Signal is essentially a story of forbidden love wrapped up in a cataclysmic event that turns most of humanity into homicidal maniacs. A strange signal is somehow broadcast through all forms of communication, TV, radio, cell phones. This signal manages to rearrange the way most peoples brains work, turning them from placid creatures to psychotic homicidal maniacs in the blink of an eye.
Ben can somehow see through this infectious bloodlust and does what any sane man would do, looks for the girl he loves. Problem is, his girlfriend’s control freak of a husband is on the warpath, brain infected, to find his wife and make her lover pay the ultimate price. As such the movie is split into three parts, the first focussing on Mya, the girlfriend/wife and her attempts at escaping the city. The second part focuses on the husband Lewis and his demented mission to find his wife and destroy humanity in the process. The third and final part looks at Ben as he tries to save the woman he loves.
These three acts however are not totally separate as the story as a whole flows through them, with a time line that stays on track, whilst utilising flashback to connect all the pertinent events into one cohesive story. As well as three acts, The Signal has two distinct styles, at first it starts out as a serious horror/thriller that looks set to be a kind of race against time, but then comes the black humour that at times verges on campy, but sits surprisingly well interspersed with the seriously edge of your seats thrill ride. These seemingly polar opposite styles work amazingly well with the storyline as the humour lightens the mood, but also visualises the descent into insanity that Lewis is experiencing.
The Signal starts off looking like a rather low budget film, but when the action kicks in and the insane storyline starts to roll the actors – non of whom are ‘known’ actors – prove their worth with stand out performances that draw you into the film with ease, forcing you to sit, fixated on the story right up to it’s stunning conclusion.
Blood soaked gore permeates this bleak apocalyptic tale that manages to set some high standards for this creative trio to follow up if they decide to work together on another masterpiece.
Looking beyond the blood splattered violence, The Signal actually has a very good message to broadcast, one that encourages us to look deeper inside ourselves, to block out the noises that seek to destroy us and discover the truth that can set us free.
Reviewed by: Jonathan Read Rating: R18 – Contains graphic violence and offensive language. Released on: April 9th, 2009 Year of Original Release: 2007 Length (Minutes): 99 Media Format: DVD Languages: English Supported Audio: Dolby Digital Surround 5.1 Studio: Madman
Families could have been denied a trip to the movies over the school holidays due to a shortage of child-friendly films.
Chief Censor Bill Hastings has slammed cinemas and film distributors for denying New Zealanders “every parent’s sanctuary” over the holidays.
Theatres may be humming with child-friendly movies featuring cartoon monsters or teen heartthrob Zac Efron, but none have the G rating that guarantees they are suitable for all ages.
“Where are the G movies?” asked Hastings.
“School holidays present the perfect opportunity for relatively inexpensive family outings, yet the cinemas are not showing any G movies that the whole family can enjoy.”
Film distributors have struck back at Hastings.
Sony Pictures New Zealand general manager Andrew Cornwell said the comments were “idiotic” and “bizarre”.
He said film distributors had no control over the type of films produced by the studios, but had some control over release dates.
“As if we have any control over what Hollywood releases,” he said.
“It is not like there is a plot to not release G movies. We would quite like to release G movies but you have to go with what you get.
“It is a bizarre comment. There is no move away from G movies, there is certainly a market for them.”
Hastings said cinemas should make sure family films were available during the holidays for the sake of the industry.
“In New Zealand, a G rating is every parent’s last sanctuary. There should be nothing in a G-rated film that would cause anyone concern,” he said.
“In these tough economic times, I would have thought the New Zealand film industry would be trying to reverse declining ticket sales by offering films that the whole family could enjoy.”
Children’s movies on release all feature either low-level violence or sexual references, which is enough to tip them over from a G rating to a PG.
Hastings said it could take only one disturbing scene to warrant a PG rating.
For example, children’s film Happy Feet was upgraded to PG for a scene of a leopard seal attacking penguins.
Spirit of the Marathon is the only film being screened in Christchurch with a G rating. Although, as a documentary on long-distance runners, it is unlikely to excite children. [stuff]
Personally I’d have to question Bill Hastings parenting skills if he thinks that being able to send your children to the movies during the school holidays is an essential activity. As for it being a “sanctuary” for parents, I would have thought a better “sanctuary” would be to get a good baby-sitter and take your spouse out to enjoy a kid free movie.
As for declining ticket sales being attributed to the lack of G-Rated movies, Bill is wrong on that as well, according to Flicks, [adult] movies are recession proof:
Movies are recession proof. At least that’s what the past weekend’s box office takings are telling us. NZers spent over 1.5 million more dollars at the cinema over the weekend than they did this time last year.
Plot: Sick of her life, housewife Nancy (Bello) just wants it to be over and done with, but rather than kill herself, she hires a stranger from the Internet to do the job for her. But fate takes a strange turn when she meets her killer (Patric) and the two fall in love. Of course, Nancy realizes that love and murder do not naturally go hand in hand. [imdb]
Kate Mara (Shooter) and Clark Gregg (Choke) have joined the cast of Jon Favreau’s Iron Man 2.
Gregg will be reprising his role as Agent Phil Coulson of S.H.I.E.L.D which isn’t completely unexpected, especially considering that the sequel partly bridges into the big Marvel superhero team-up, The Avengers. And Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. are instrumental in that story. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Agent Coulson doing the heavy legwork for SHIELD. I’m guessing that while Samuel L Jackson is scheduled to make an appearance in the film, it will probably be short.
Mara’s character identity is being kept under wraps (for now). Gweneth Paltrow is back as Pepper Pots and Scarlett Johansson is playing the Black Widow, so where does Mara fit into this picture? The fact that her identity is being kept secret is very curious. [/film]
