Last night I saw the New Zealand short film 'Taua' 2008, on Maori Television. Written and directed by Tearepa Kahi, 'Taua' - (War party) is a fifteen minute film set in Aotearoa in Pre-European times about rival Maori tribes at war. 'Taua' takes you on the treacherous journey of a Maori war party who haul a massive waka with the enemy leader bound to the stern of the canoe, overland and through dense bush to escape their pursuers. Two young boys sit near the stern, they serve as bailers of the water and water distributors on the land. Water is rarely given to the prisoner. It is the story of one boy's courage and his journey on the waka, as he risks all, motivated by giving water to the prisoner.
The film does not have any dialogue or music. There are sounds of the bush and the warriors moving and making noises while they grit their teeth with sticks. Images of the natural environment as the warriors navigate their way through the bush, along with their facial expressions were effective tools in immersing me in the tension that built throughout the film. The way the film was shot gave you a view as if you were following the taua. The audience was automatically involved, I was on the journey too. I wanted to know what would be the fate of the boy, the prisoner, and the war party. I was drawn to the imagery and beauty of New Zealand's native bush, the ornately carved waka, and the warriors with moko, traditionally dressed, with sticks between their teeth as they demonstrated the importance of sound as a psychological weapon. The central character of the film is a boy whose act of kindness cut through physical and political power while under the leadership of the merciless chief.
I've seen the film before and seeing it again was just as engaging and evocative. From a Maori perspective it portrays Maori in an authentic, positive light. The characters are believable and the plot has been written with cultural knowledge and integrity giving the film depth and accuracy from that period. The film is a snapshot of a taua's journey, transporting me to the time of my ancestors. It is well crafted and I see why it received national and international awards.
The film was loosely based on the Maori proverb 'Mate atu he tete kura, ara mai ano he tete kura' - (In war leaders fall and leaders rise), which is befitting for the theme of the film, that a boy whose act of compassion and bravery allows him to emerge as the leader and hero of the story.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Friday, July 30, 2010
Genius Within
I went to see the film 'Genius Within: The Inner Life Glenn Gould,' at the Film Archive last Wednesday.
The Film Archive isn't the most welcoming foyer with it's white, reflective floors and aerodynamic chairs, I almost felt like I had walked inside a very trendy spaceship. I must admit I prefer the cosy, old fashioned rather than the minimalistic hip but on the up side the food was yummy and the staff suave. I was oh so charmed,(thinking of one young man in particular who's 'my pleasure' was a much appreciated reply to my 'thank you.' Sometimes the small things do matter.)
The film was a well directed, reflective take on Glenn Gould's life. I do always wonder about documentaries that have been made after the death of the subject though. How much of the truth can be told?
Obviously Glenn Gould was a complicated difficult man (aren't most artist's) but a complicated difficult character is always a great subject for a film.
Glen Gould's piano playing blew my mind. To be able to see and hear him play was a real treat and thoroughly appreciated. His hands: fingers long, delicate, and when they moved around the piano so dexterously they almost looked double jointed. His unique way of interpreting the classical greats compositions and rearranging them to express his own take on the music with real feeling was like the title says inner genius.
With his James Dean looks and his unbelievable talent, Glenn Gould mesmerises in concert.
His intense dislike for any sort of pretension, his need for solitude and his eventual drug dependencies were all moments in his life that I viewed with interest.
The film also prompted me to think about how the media often focus's on an artist's unique idiosyncrasies and eccentricities rather than the art itself. If an artist has a rather unique personality the media will force the artist under some sort of media microscope which almost creates a caricature personality of the artist. I imagine how hard this would be for a true artist such as Glenn Gould to deal with. If I was in this position I imagine that all my natural reactions would become contrived as I felt the global eyes scrutinize. I felt real empathy for Glenn Gould in having to deal with this unfortunate down side to fame.
The landscape shots of the Canadian terrain also captured me especially the last scene of a Canadian hillside, the redness of the leaves in Autumn clustered so bright amongst the green juxtaposed to the sombre piano music. Glenn's own eulogy to himself which ends this great and no doubt lasting memorial.
The moment in the film that remains most vivid in my mind is the comment made by one of Glenn Gould's few friend who divulges to the audience that Glenn sometimes seemed 'As fragile as glass, that if you threw a stone at him he would shatter.'
The Film Archive isn't the most welcoming foyer with it's white, reflective floors and aerodynamic chairs, I almost felt like I had walked inside a very trendy spaceship. I must admit I prefer the cosy, old fashioned rather than the minimalistic hip but on the up side the food was yummy and the staff suave. I was oh so charmed,(thinking of one young man in particular who's 'my pleasure' was a much appreciated reply to my 'thank you.' Sometimes the small things do matter.)
The film was a well directed, reflective take on Glenn Gould's life. I do always wonder about documentaries that have been made after the death of the subject though. How much of the truth can be told?
Obviously Glenn Gould was a complicated difficult man (aren't most artist's) but a complicated difficult character is always a great subject for a film.
Glen Gould's piano playing blew my mind. To be able to see and hear him play was a real treat and thoroughly appreciated. His hands: fingers long, delicate, and when they moved around the piano so dexterously they almost looked double jointed. His unique way of interpreting the classical greats compositions and rearranging them to express his own take on the music with real feeling was like the title says inner genius.
With his James Dean looks and his unbelievable talent, Glenn Gould mesmerises in concert.
His intense dislike for any sort of pretension, his need for solitude and his eventual drug dependencies were all moments in his life that I viewed with interest.
The film also prompted me to think about how the media often focus's on an artist's unique idiosyncrasies and eccentricities rather than the art itself. If an artist has a rather unique personality the media will force the artist under some sort of media microscope which almost creates a caricature personality of the artist. I imagine how hard this would be for a true artist such as Glenn Gould to deal with. If I was in this position I imagine that all my natural reactions would become contrived as I felt the global eyes scrutinize. I felt real empathy for Glenn Gould in having to deal with this unfortunate down side to fame.
The landscape shots of the Canadian terrain also captured me especially the last scene of a Canadian hillside, the redness of the leaves in Autumn clustered so bright amongst the green juxtaposed to the sombre piano music. Glenn's own eulogy to himself which ends this great and no doubt lasting memorial.
The moment in the film that remains most vivid in my mind is the comment made by one of Glenn Gould's few friend who divulges to the audience that Glenn sometimes seemed 'As fragile as glass, that if you threw a stone at him he would shatter.'
Dear Sweet Harry and Lives of the Poets
Unity Books in Wellywood last night held an opening launch for two poets, Lynn Jenner and John Newton. On National Poetry Day there was a large turnout despite the hideous freezing nose-numbing weather. It was a joint event between Victoria and Auckland University Presses.
Hinemoana Baker sung/ recited as an opening and the audience were spellbound: it was a gorgeous performance of a piece of her poetry/song lyrics.
Lynn read from her work which blends together history, memoir and poetry in one genre blending work.
John has published his first poetry collection in twenty-five years and plays with traditional forms, but with contemporary subject-matter. The poem he read set in Kings Cross, Sydney in 1980 was excellent.
Hinemoana Baker sung/ recited as an opening and the audience were spellbound: it was a gorgeous performance of a piece of her poetry/song lyrics.
Lynn read from her work which blends together history, memoir and poetry in one genre blending work.
John has published his first poetry collection in twenty-five years and plays with traditional forms, but with contemporary subject-matter. The poem he read set in Kings Cross, Sydney in 1980 was excellent.
Nurse Jackie
'Nurse Jackie' is a black comedy. The writing is exceptional, the acting outstanding. Two reasons why I love this TV series, produced by Showtime.
Starring Edie Falco of 'The Soprano's' fame is brilliant as Jackie, the drug taking nurse and adulteress who is compassionate to criminal patients and patients she treats with her own medicinal expertise eg: in one episode Nurse Jackie dresses the wound of a Latino patient in haste while hiding him and his gun from a cop and feeding him instructions in his lingo of how to escape, simultaneously diverting the cop. In another episode, Jackie gets a patient suffering severe pain which cannot be fixed with conventional medicine, a hit of marijuana from her 'ambo' pot smoking colleague. Later she takes the patient hash cookies she has baked herself to his apartment, and advises him with care, how many to eat and when. She gives the patient contact details of the dealer.
Season 2 offers the same high standard of the first season. We see Jackie continue to find new innovative ways to get her drug fix without getting caught eg: by learning to master the new electronic drug system which has been put into place.
In another storyline, after failing to end her affair with pharmacist/ex colleague, Eddie, who is also one of Jackie's drug suppliers, Jackie is horrified when Eddie continues to cultivate his friendship with her husband Kevin. Jackie has kept her family life secret from Eddie. But he is injecting himself more and more into her other life which she hates and can't stop eg: in a recent episode when he was in her lounge chatting to Kevin and their daughters one night when she got home from work. Obviously this is leading to Eddie blackmailing Jackie as he threatens to tell Kevin about their affair if she stops the relationship, which will probably result in Eddie trying to make Jackie leave Kevin.
Other interesting characters include: The English, silver tongued, Dr O'Hara regarded as top notch in her field. She is Jackie's confidante, sophisticated, draped in haute couture. She is also Jackie's fellow druggie, who has come to work still high on Ecstacy from socialising the night before and slips Jackie percoset whenever she needs it, for her sore back of course; the vain and egotistical Dr Cooper, played convincingly by Peter Facinelli of 'Twilight/Eclipse' fame, who is Nurse Jackie's antagonist; and the hilarious and quirky junior nurse, Zoe.
The well played characters and layered script are clever. They keep me engaged and hooked on 'Nurse Jackie' Tuesday's, 9.30pm on TV 3.
Starring Edie Falco of 'The Soprano's' fame is brilliant as Jackie, the drug taking nurse and adulteress who is compassionate to criminal patients and patients she treats with her own medicinal expertise eg: in one episode Nurse Jackie dresses the wound of a Latino patient in haste while hiding him and his gun from a cop and feeding him instructions in his lingo of how to escape, simultaneously diverting the cop. In another episode, Jackie gets a patient suffering severe pain which cannot be fixed with conventional medicine, a hit of marijuana from her 'ambo' pot smoking colleague. Later she takes the patient hash cookies she has baked herself to his apartment, and advises him with care, how many to eat and when. She gives the patient contact details of the dealer.
Season 2 offers the same high standard of the first season. We see Jackie continue to find new innovative ways to get her drug fix without getting caught eg: by learning to master the new electronic drug system which has been put into place.
In another storyline, after failing to end her affair with pharmacist/ex colleague, Eddie, who is also one of Jackie's drug suppliers, Jackie is horrified when Eddie continues to cultivate his friendship with her husband Kevin. Jackie has kept her family life secret from Eddie. But he is injecting himself more and more into her other life which she hates and can't stop eg: in a recent episode when he was in her lounge chatting to Kevin and their daughters one night when she got home from work. Obviously this is leading to Eddie blackmailing Jackie as he threatens to tell Kevin about their affair if she stops the relationship, which will probably result in Eddie trying to make Jackie leave Kevin.
Other interesting characters include: The English, silver tongued, Dr O'Hara regarded as top notch in her field. She is Jackie's confidante, sophisticated, draped in haute couture. She is also Jackie's fellow druggie, who has come to work still high on Ecstacy from socialising the night before and slips Jackie percoset whenever she needs it, for her sore back of course; the vain and egotistical Dr Cooper, played convincingly by Peter Facinelli of 'Twilight/Eclipse' fame, who is Nurse Jackie's antagonist; and the hilarious and quirky junior nurse, Zoe.
The well played characters and layered script are clever. They keep me engaged and hooked on 'Nurse Jackie' Tuesday's, 9.30pm on TV 3.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
The Runaways
I loved the film about Joan Jett I saw last night as part of the International Film Festival: naughty girls, leather pants, loud rock'n'roll, lots of attitude. What's not to like?!
The actresses (Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning) were great, although perhaps a bit young and delicate. They could have been rougher and uglier. The authentic early 70s clothing was fab: think glitter platforms, tight hipster flares, Farrah Fawcett flick-back hairdos, mullets.
Their Svengali-type leader, manager Kim Fowler, was the sexist a-hole that everybody loves to hate.
A great escapist, visually interesting film.
Most memorable lines of dailogue: "I'm going to teach you girls how to think with your cocks."
"Someone put another nickel in your juke-box, didn't they?"
Most memorable song lyric: Hello Daddy, hello Mom:
I'm your ch-ch-ch-ch
Cherry Bomb!
Most memorable scenes: Joan desultorily teaching her friend how to masturbate with the shower-head
Most memorable image: Cherie Curry smashing a pill on the ground with her super-high platform heel and squatting down to snort up the powder off the floor.
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