Where I currently live there is only one movie theatre - an outdoors theatre - and it screens one movie a week, on Saturdays at 7:30 pm. Movies don't generally get repeated, so if you miss it the night it's screened, you have to either fly to Perth to see it (pointless as we see the movies long after the general release dates) or wait for it on DVD. And as it only costs $5 for an adult ticket, and if there's nothing better on the TV, I sometimes see movies I wouldn't normally make the time for.
Eye in the Sky
I hadn't heard of this movie, I was told it was about a military drone unit which didn't sound like my kind of movie, and the brief synopsis I read didn't do anything to change my mind (they used the words 'drama' and 'debate', but not 'action'. Then a friend said it starred Helen Mirren and that it was partly set in Africa. Those two little snippets swayed me enough to check it out. After all, if I was bored I can always leave.
As I said, not the kind of movie I would normally see, but I'm glad I did. After a slowish start, it became riveting (to me anyway). The storyline was fairly straightforward, but the twists and turns were frequent and some unexpected, with lots of suspense and a climax that didn't disappoint. There was a little bit of action, but it's the storyline and the characters that drive the movie along.
It also stars Alan Rickman in his last on-screen movie role playing a Lieutenant-General who is frustrated by politicians who cannot make a decision, even when they know hundreds of people are going to die.
Some excellent camerawork, and I want a beetle.
8/10
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Hunt for the Wilderpeople
A New Zealand offering, with that quirky NZ style of moviemaking and the typical NZ humour.
I was even more reluctant to see this as it looked like more of a drama-movie than Eye In The Sky did. Dad and son go bush and find themselves. Yawn. The promo in the local paper described it as "
adventure/comedy/drama".
Sam Neill turned 69 a few days ago, and in this movie he looks it. But that's what they wanted for his character, a crotchety old bushman. His foil is a 14 year old kid who learns to live and survive in the NZ wilderness with him while they avoid the law and the Department of Child Services.
The movie is quite entertaining, funny in parts, and has some great cinematography showcasing some of New Zealand's beautiful rainforests and mountain scenery. And I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.
The only thing I didn't like was the portrayal of the police and Child Welfare officers as pantomime-style caricatured idiots. This (and other aspects) suggested to me it was a kids movie; I got the impression it may have been based upon a kids book, but I'm not sure. But they made up for it by having a Huia in it.
A note about the title - the boy had been reading about migrating wildebeest, and suggested he and is foster-father were wildepeople on their own migration.
A funny movie that's definitely worth a look.
8/10
Hix
