Reviewed by Kim Lesch
AMONGST the throng of genuinely boring romantic films that seem to be permanently cropping up, Ae Fond Kiss provides a startling alternative: an impressive modern retelling of the age old 'star crossed lovers' story.
Sidebar
Vicky Cristina Barcelona: What's not to like? Barcelona in summer. Passionate artists Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz spend quality time with the free-spirited Scarlett Johansson. Blazingly sensual escapism, ground in realism. The Woodman's still got it, directing with a big heart and a sure hand. Cruz, liberated from mediocre American movies, is a Almodovarian force of nature.- Waltz With Bashir: Easily the year's best animated movie. Ex-Israeli soldier Ari Folman vividly explores the '82 war in Lebanon. With exceptional music, like the superb scene where a soldier hides in the ocean. "I am at peace. Just me and the sea."
- Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (DVD): My January DVD pick. Sidney Lumet owns the night, leaving the young pups in the dust, probing crime's personal tragedy. Fiercely moral, inventively constructed; forceful, while allowing ruminative space.—Alexander Bisley
Do you love movies and movie memorabilia? We have many kinds of original movie posters and vintage posters for you to browse through online.
- The Best of Film in 2008
- Year in Review: NZ International Film Festivals, Eleven Unreleased Films
- In Retrospect: Edward Yang's Taipei Stories
- In Praise of The Wire
- » Smells Like Teen Spirit: Judd Apatow, Adam McKay & The Comedy of Arrested Development
- » Taika Waititi: The Finest of Homecomings
- » Nina Davenport on Operation Filmmaker
- » Annie Goldson on An Island Calling
- » There Will Be Hope: The Films of Mahamat-Saleh Haroun
- » An Interview with Sarah Watt
- » Film Society 2008: Five Reasons to Join
- » Flight of the Conchords: "definitely in the top 3"
- » Year in Review: The Best of Film, DVD and Posters in 2007
- » Sex and Them: Californication vs Family First
- » Spike Lee's Territory
- » Syndromes of a Century: Spears, Network, and not taking it anymore
- » Fight the Power
- » Script to Screen, the Internet, and beyond
- » How irony killed satire: an earnest investigation
- » La Binoche
- » The Summer of Seth
- » Making Be Sharp, See Flat
- » The Muse of Brazilian Cinema: An Interview with Helena Ignez
- » Sign of the Times: A Struggle No More
- » Janet Goldwater on Rosita
- » Directorial Bandit: Sandor Lau on Squeegee Bandit
- » A Convenient Truth: Jeff Blitz on Spellbound
- » Year in Review: The Best of Film in 2006
- » In Praise Of: Ten Actors and Filmmakers in 2006
- » One-Sheet Wonders: The Best Movie Posters of 2006
- » Notes from the Underground: the V 24 Hour Movie Marathon 2006
- » West Coast Represent: Aunty Gaylene, Greymouth's Finest
- » The Passion of Laurie David
- » Ode to The West Wing
- Interviews from the NZ International Film Festivals:
- » Ben Russell on We Can Not Exist in This World Alone
- » Adam Wingard on Pop Skull
- » Yung Chang on Up the Yangtze
- » Benjamin Gilmour on Son of a Lion
- » Kathy Dudding on The Return
- » Gregory King on A Song of Good
- Browse Film Features
The Lumière Reader selects...
By Tim Wong & Steve Garden
By Steve Garden
By Brannavan Gnanalingam
- Selected theatrical film releases in New Zealand, rated and reviewed:
- » The Visitor **
- » The Dark Knight ***
- » Dan in Real Life ***
- » I'm Not There *****
- » Rambo 4 **
- » There Will Be Blood *****
- » 2 Days in Paris ***
- » Rescue Dawn ***
- » No Country For Old Men *****
- » The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford ****
- » Once ****
- » Mr Brooks ***
- » A Mighty Heart **
- » Death Proof ****
- » We're Here to Help ****
- » Venus, Evening ****/**
- » Eastern Promises ****
- » La vie en rose ****
- » Superbad **
- » Joy Division ***
- » Eagle vs Shark ****/**
- » The Simpsons Movie ***
- » Zodiac ***
- » Scoop ***
- » 28 Weeks Later ***
- » The Host ****
- » The Road to Guantanamo ****
- Short Reviews:
- » Taken, Body of Lies, Young at Heart, Caramel, In Bruges
- » Up the Yangtze, Paris; 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
- » The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, Get Smart, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, Second-Hand Wedding, Charlie Bartlett
- » Street Kings, I'm Not There
- » Lars and the Real Girl, Gone Baby Gone, Four Minutes
- » Goodbye Bafana, Love in the Time of Cholera, Lady Chatterley, I Served the King of England
- » Michael Clayton, 30 Days of Night, Cloverfield, I Am Legend, Rescue Dawn, Red Road, Death at a Funeral
- Browse Film Reviews
- On Vampyr
- Selected Region 4 DVD releases and reissues reviewed:
- » The Darjeeling Limited
- » Inland Empire
- » Allan Wilson: Evolutionary
- » Bubble
- » The Films of Carl Theodor Dreyer
- » Eagle vs Shark
- » Jesus Camp
- » Sicko
- » The West Wing: The Complete Series
- » The Wrong Man, I Confess, Stage Fright, Dial M for Murder
- » Rome: The Complete First Season
- » Entourage: Season Three, Part 2
- » The Fred Dagg All-Purpose DVD
- » Rang de Basanti, Volver, Black Sheep
- » Becoming Jane
- » Wordplay
- » Rampage
- » A Scanner Darkly
- » Pan's Labyrinth
- » Sherrybaby
- » Out of the Blue
- » Flags of Our Fathers, Letters From Iwo Jima
- » Kubrick Triple Feature, Straight Time, The Yakuza, Lust for Life, Body Heat
- » The Simpsons: Season 9
- » The Pajama Game, Young Man With a Horn
- » The Queen
- Short Reviews:
- » The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, War/Dance, Tintin and I, I'm Not There, Sex and the City: The Movie
- » Underbelly, Donnie Darko: Collector's Edition, The Chaser's War on Everything, The War on Democracy, The Investigator, Secret Diary of a Call Girl
- » Outrageous Fortune: Series Three
- » Mandela: The Living Legend, We're Here to Help, Death at a Funeral, Barking Dogs Never Bite
- » The Sopranos: Season Six, The Final Episodes; I Think I Love My Wife, Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten
- » Severance, La Vie en Rose, Stephanie Daley
- Browse DVD Reviews
By Steve Garden
- Lumière at the New Zealand International Film Festivals 2008
- Reviews, interviews and editorial from the NZ International Film Festivals:
- » In Retrospect: Edward Yang
- » Ben Russell on We Can Not Exist in This World Alone
- » Adam Wingard on Pop Skull
- » Yung Chang on Up the Yangtze
- » Benjamin Gilmour on Son of a Lion
- » Kathy Dudding on The Return
- » Gregory King on A Song of Good
- » NZIFF '08 Dispatch #3: New Illustration
- » NZIFF '08 Dispatch #2: Priming the Melbourne International Film Festival
- » NZIFF '08 Dispatch #1: Auckland, and onwards
- » New Directions: the New Zealand International Film Festivals 2008
- Features, reviews and columns from the film festival circuit:
- » Italian Film Festival 2008
- » Not Miffed: Melbourne International Film Festival 2008
- » Postnatal Neglect: A Walk to Beautiful
- » Factory Girls: Maquilapolis—City of Factories
- » Left Alone: Western Sahara—Africa's Last Colony
- » Cannes 2008: Line-up
- » Interiors: Margot at the Wedding
- » Out of Sight: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
- » Midnight Cowboy: El Topo, The Holy Mountain
- » Lady-Tramp: An Old Mistress
- » Time-F**K: Southland Tales
- » Mutual Exploitation: Black, White + Gray
- » Crimes Committed: Dry Season
- » Wrong Man: Strange Culture
- » Type-Cast: Helvetica
- » Out of Africa: War/Dance
- » Eastern Promise: 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
- » World Cinema Showcase 2008
- » French Film Festival 2008: Ascenseur pour l'echafaud
- » Festival Notes From Abroad: Marrakech, Melbourne, Venice
- Browse Festival Coverage
– Full Coverage Inside –
