Total Film have put together a list of the 50 Most Hated Films Ever Made. What makes this list a little different from most other lists, is that it’s not saying that these films are bad per-say, just that they’ve managed to upset a heck of a lot of people, for what ever reason. Some of these films have had fan-boys raging that they ruined the entire series, others that a beloved character has been destroyed. Whatever the case, the guys at Total Film are a brave bunch, because this list is sure to raise the heckles of quite a number of film lovers.
The Top Ten is below, for the complete Top 50, head over to Total Film. Read the rest of this entry »
Archive for the ‘Features’ Category
50 Most Hated Films Ever
On March - 7 - 2012
#NZFF At The Barricades
On July - 4 - 2011
BETTER THIS WORLD
The path of the political dissident in the post-9/11 world is not for the tender-hearted. This account of two idealistic young men who found that out, to their enormous cost, carries ominous echoes of Abi King-Jones and Errol Wright’s Operation 8. The lifelong friends from Midland, Texas, went to Minneapolis with their mentor, Brandon Darby, a charismatic champion of the post-Katrina homeless, to protest the 2008 Republican Convention. Never did they suspect that a radical activist who persuaded them to toy with violence was actually an FBI plant, and that they would soon be facing years in prison. With access to the key players, including prosecutors and FBI agents, this documentary presents insight into the ‘war on terror’ as a campaign, fuelled with not a little personal animus, to demonise and discourage unruly dissent. — BG
“Sympathetic but frank… a compelling news documentary and a stunning character study of young activists in a chaotic political time.” — Michael King, Austin Chronicle Read the rest of this entry »
#NZFF Sporting Life
On July - 3 - 2011
AUTUMN GOLD
Age neither defines nor limits five indomitable European athletes training for the World Masters Athletic Championships. Jiří (82) may have trouble reading the entrance forms, but he attacks the high jump with youthful zeal. Discus thrower Alfred (100) admits that years bring age spots, but so long as limbs work he’s not too bothered. Herbert (93), preparing for the 100-metre sprint, dispels notions about what body parts men in their 90s can raise. Ilse holds the shot put world record for the over-85s, while Gabre questions what exactly ‘old woman’ means. Whatever such a creature is, it isn’t her and she won’t discuss her age. This engaging bunch generously welcomes us into their lives, on and off track and field, and candidly shares personal histories. Their resilience is flabbergasting, their determination inspirational. All are lucid about what lies ahead in the long run; perhaps this is what drives them to make the most of the present. The wisdom, passion and humour with which they do so qualify them all as champions. — SR Read the rest of this entry »
#NZFF Go Slow
On June - 29 - 2011
AITA
Light and shadows in a crumbling mansion in the Basque countryside are the central players in this exquisite, painterly study of the passage of time. ‘History is slow, life is fast’ in this ancient place once traversed by pilgrims on the Way of Saint James. The building’s elderly caretaker and his friend, a priest, playfully ponder mortality while planes of light shimmer and the darkness reverberates with flickering images from bygone eras. Past momentarily haunts the present as images appear on a grainy wall-screen, as though emanating from the edifice’s very stones. Dilapidated splendour and illustrious heritage don’t beguile every visitor: young thieves ransack the place, destructively impervious to the radiance of shadows. — SR
“Its colorwork is as minute as the range of grey is meticulous and infinite, deep rubies popping out of a corner illuminated by a window and the whispered shock of shadowy green against the flat modernist palette produced from the combination of the old opulence and the current decay.” — Daniel Kasman, Mubi.com Read the rest of this entry »
#NZFF New Directions
On June - 29 - 2011
AT ELLEN’S AGE
“‘Promise me not to go all mad, OK?’ Ellen’s boyfriend Florian asks her before revealing that he’s going to have a child with another woman. But go a bit mad she does, ditching both home and her longtime flight attendant job and setting forth on an uncertain trajectory. Pia Marais’s modern fable of dislocation takes us down the rabbit hole, dropping into a variety of unnerving, oddly humorous and slightly surreal situations as Ellen searches for grounding in a rootless world. Adrift, broke and unused to being alone, Ellen attaches herself to a daisy chain of acquaintances and complete strangers. Her need to be with others results in some undignified hotel-room mornings before she falls in with a group of militant animal rights activists. Ellen is attracted to their passion, and perhaps to their endless discussion of rules, but it’s unclear whether they can provide the sense of purpose she’s seeking. Moving from anonymous hotel rooms, airports and lobbies to the chaotic warmth of a Frankfurt commune, where sleeping bodies lie in a jumble among semi-domesticated animals, At Ellen’s Age is filled with striking images: the red caps of a gaggle of airline attendants, a cheetah strolling regally across an airport tarmac, the otherworldly glow of a swarm of white lab rats running on black asphalt at night. Jeanne Balibar’s ethereal beauty and controlled performance accentuate Ellen’s standing as a perpetual stranger in a strange world, adding a distinctive center to a character and a film as mysterious and unpredictable as modern life.” — Rachel Rosen, San Francisco International Film Festival Read the rest of this entry »
#NZFF Worlds Of Difference
On June - 26 - 2011
THE GIANTS
Two brothers in their mid-teens are dropped off at their grandfather’s deserted house in the country and left to fend for themselves for the summer. Boredom is overtaken by more excitement than they bargained for after they fall in with a slightly older local boy. Filmed with a lushness that will have you longing for the European summer, this funny, perceptive picture of unfettered adolescence venturing into peril imbues Stand by Me with sardonic social realism and shades of the Brothers Grimm. — BG
“Bouli Lanners’ third feature deftly negotiates between heartbreak and hilarity in a picaresque story notable for its boisterous good spirits, economical storytelling and engaging central performances… The lightness of touch that Lanners displays with casting and story allows him to confront some serious issues… The performances of the three boys are very impressive; unselfconscious, endearing and completely believable.” — Allan Hunter, Screendaily Read the rest of this entry »
#NZFF Big Nights at the Civic
On June - 23 - 2011
LOVE STORY
When Auckland filmmaker Florian Habicht took up the Arts Foundation’s Harriet Friedlander Residency in New York in late 2009, he was under no obligation to do a jot of work, let alone return with the opening night movie for Auckland’s 2011 Film Festival. It’s hard to imagine a more shining validation of Friedlander’s faith in the regenerative powers of New York City. It’s a Love Story indeed, embracing documentary, fiction, summer, sex, romance, New York and a host of camera-ready New Yorkers in one gregarious, greedy, joyous hug.
Florian’s muse and quarry is the exquisite Masha, romantic fantasy incarnate, first spotted on the subway heading towards Coney Island carrying only a slice of cake perfectly balanced on a plate. Buttonholing miscellaneous New Yorkers, he solicits advice at every stage of the ensuing affair to figure out what could happen next in his film. Even the cranky responses we see crackle with character and perverse joie de vivre.
He’s also consulting a psychic and Skyping dad back home for long-term career guidance. He’s not in Manhattan for ever, and as autumn sets in the film takes on a melancholic undertow. An elderly homeless drunk recalls his boyhood crush: harsh reality and hopeless fantasy constantly jostle and excite each other in Florian’sNew York.
Though presented as a shot-on-the-fly, made-up-as-I-went-along piece of whimsy, it looks like a dream and is cut with wit and dexterity. Already there are so many hymns to New York; why should we be astounded to find another that’s so freshly, contagiously, uniquely in love with the place? — BG Read the rest of this entry »
Confessions of an Eco-Terrorist
On February - 19 - 2011
Seen through the eyes of activist Peter Jay Brown, Confessions grants the viewer an intimate look at shipboard life amongst these self proclaimed animal saviors and sea rebels who shaped the green movement we know and love today. Peter and his associates’ exploits are as much comedy as cause. These extremists proudly fly the skull and cross-bones while performing extraordinary feats of daring on the high seas. Their fleet of ramming vessels inflicts damage to whalers, illegal drift-netters, and seal hunters that operate illegally world-wide. The hard nosed cast of characters exude bravery and whit, all while engaging in action packed conflict including sinkings, boardings, arrests, and plenty of rammings. Read the rest of this entry »
