Movies
Library News
'Select: Sound & Vision' collection!
Get the latest CDs & DVDs faster! The 'Select' collection - available at Karori and Kilbirnie libraries as well as Central - is designed to make it easier to borrow heavily used and reserved items within our AV Collection. The items in this collection have a reduced loan period of 3 days, meaning you can access the most popular CDs and DVDs faster for the same price and find them on the shelf more often.
You can find more information on our News page.
Recent Staff Picks
Adam
Adam is one of those great little indie romantic dramas for the disaffected and cynical set. The story of a relationship between a young man with Asperger's syndrome and his hipster New York neighbour, Adam manages to be saccharine enough to draw out a few tears and comedic enough to provide a few dark chuckles. Lead actor, Hugh Dancy, plays his part very well and his realistic handling of such a complex character means your wee heart will ache for Adam, trapped in his world of excessive routine and emotional confusion. Whilst the film is a romantic drama at heart, there's a few extra superfluous plot developments thrown in to fatten out the film, but these don't dissuade from the overall tale. Adam is smart, reasonably unaffected and a refreshing change of pace from your usual happy Hollywood ending romance flicks. (Craig)
Whip it
'Whip it', Drew Barrymore's first go at directing, is a not too subtle story of teenager Bliss Cavendar (Ellen Page star of Juno) who joins a roller derby team. Her horrified mother wants her daughter to achieve stardom in the beauty pageant scene, not by being Babe Ruthless on roller skates. New Zealand's own stunt woman Zoe Bell is Bliss' protagonist. Aimed at the teenage girl market but was an undemanding watch on a cold winters day and Ellen Page is always worth a look. (Liz)
Fantastic Mr. Fox.
I love Wes Anderson's Fantastic Mr Fox. It's perfect. Superb casting, amazing sets, brilliant stop-motion, gorgeous colouring, it's damn funny, there's plenty of sub-text for the grown ups and of course Bill Murray's in there. What's not to love. It's an outstanding adaption of Dahl's formidable tale of courage, jealousy, mischief and responsibility. Boggis, Bunce and Bean are played magnificently and although there's a tendency for the whole thing to hang on Anderson's usual erudite New York wit, there's still enough of Dahl's original intent in the complex relationships between the characters for the story to retain it's sense of English-ness (with a scene stealing Jarvis Cocker to boot). It's a great film for both kids and adults and it's a real treat to have seen this and Where the Wild Things Are recently, it's great to see that not all children's books are ruined by a big screen adaptations. (Craig)
The time traveller's wife.
'The Time Traveller's Wife' was an enjoyable movie. There was a lot of going backwards and forwards through time so it needs a lot of concentration to get the idea of the story. (Brigid)
Blade runner.
Released in 1982, this adaptation of Philip K Dick's novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, initially polarized critics and was a commercial failure, yet is now regarded as a classic - currently ranked the third best film of all time by The Screen Directory, and voted the best Sci-Fi film ever by 'Empire' magazine in 2007. The story of Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) - a retired 'Blade Runner,' brought back into service to track down a group of dangerous 'Replicants' (human like androids who serve as slaves in off-world colonies) in futuristic Los Angeles 2019 - was beset with production problems, personality conflicts and a now infamous studio-imposed voice-over narration. Becoming a cult video and later Laser Disc seller, an unauthorised screening of an early version of the film in the early 90's had people queuing to see it, leading to Ridley Scott's 'Director's Cut' DVD release in 1992. That version was produced based on Scott's notes, as he was involved in another project at the time, leading him to work on his own definitive version of the film in 2007, the Final Cut. This Box set, released at the same time, collects all the myriad versions of the film in one place, including the rare 'workprint' early version of the film. Also included are a wealth of bonus materials and documentaries, which include significant contributions from Ford, whose recalcitrant attitude towards talking about the film had become legendary. Endlessly fascinating, it's one of those rare movies that offer up new details on each viewing. If you've never seen it, or consider it not a genre that appeals, it's worth watching for the amazing visuals alone as the set design has almost become as influential as the movie itself. (Mark)
Billy Connolly : journey to the edge of the world.
Scottish funny man Billy takes us on another of his worldly tours, this time skirting the famed Northwest Passage around the top of Canada. Billy's whimsical style suits these travelogues well as he jaunts merrily from one spot to the next, with his everyman cheer on good form. It's not all ignorance and bliss for Billy though, he's an old hippie so he's attuned to scenes of social disintegration and the leaving behind of the old ways, which makes for some poignant scenes particularly amongst the Inuit populations. Packed full of the interesting and quirky local folk, and of course spectacular scenery, it's a light hearted jaunt and well worth a watch. (Craig)
Shutter Island.
'Shutter Island' is the fourth teaming of Leonardo DiCaprio & Martin Scorsese, after Gangs of New York, The Aviator & The Departed. Based on Dennis Lehane's novel it tells the story of Teddy Daniels (DiCaprio) a Federal Marshall, and troubled WW2 vet, who arrives on a remote Island off Boston, which serves as a hospital & prison run by the government for the criminally insane. Brought there to investigate the disappearance of a female patient incarcerated for drowning her children, DiCaprio and his partner Chuck (Mark Ruffalo) soon tangle with the head shrink (Ben Kingsley) and his German partner (Max Von Sydow). Various clues point to a cover up & the existence of a mysterious patient whose identity is not recorded, but can DiCaprio discover what's really going on before it's too late? Lehane's novels have provided some rich movies before with Mystic River & Gone Baby Gone but 'Shutter Island' is the pulpiest of his novels, and while Scorsese's adaptation is well done it's continuous visual flourishes seem a bit hoaky, and the sinister mental hospital storyline can seem at times like a sub-par Hitchcock knock-off. Enjoyable enough though, probably more so if you haven't already read the book. (Mark)
Das Boot.
Das Boot is one of the greatest war films ever made, pre-dating the harsh realism of Saving Private Ryan by many years. Set on a German U-Boat during WW2 the film explores ideas around patriotism in the face of impending doom and the flat out claustrophobic terror of submarine life. Confined inside a cramped steel tub the crew deal with the full range of experiences of war, the boredom, the laughter, the futility and the utter mayhem of torpedoing ships and being deep charged in turn. What makes Das Boot so good, and helped it to box office success, is that the tension and fear associated with submarine life is played out spectacularly well. It is realistic, the submarine creaks and groans as the men slowly fall apart and the desire to escape the most oppressing of environments is palpable. (Craig)
True blood. The complete first season.
I would highly recommend the DVD 'True Blood: Season One'! (Yu)
Gonzo : the life and work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson.
For a brief time Hunter S Thompson was the star of the risqué journalism set. His drugs, guns and aggressive persona set him up as the poster boy for behaving badly on assignment, he gave seriously messed up, but always entertaining interviews, and created an entirely new genre of crazed gonzo reporting; but then, it all got a bit tired didn't it. The best thing about this new biographical documentary is that they admit this, straight away, in the opening credits; they are more than happy to cover his downfall. It's great to see a tale of Hunter step outside the myth for a moment and deal with the man, warts and all, because frankly he was a guy with issues galore. With a huge range of interviewees and plenty of archival footage of Hunter in his prime (and in his later, more frazzled years), it's really a wonderful film which deals with Hunters life with a combination of great humour and great narration via Hunter devotee Johnny Depp. (Craig)
Out of the blue : the definitive investigation of the UFO phenomenon.
I plucked this UFO documentary off the shelf one day for a bit of a giggle, but all I've managed to do is give myself the creeps. 'Out of the Blue' is a great little conspiracy film filled with ex-astronauts, seemingly mad Russian generals, moustache and bearded quasi-valid-theorists and, best of all, redneck UFO spotters. As much as you want to laugh at it all, it all becomes a bit unnerving half way in when a number of very serious looking individuals from higher up in the military and government all begin to tell the same tale of men in dark suits telling them to sign non-disclosure forms and to forget everything they saw. There's some terrible footage of disc shaped objects floating around, but it's the first-hand accounts that are the best, particularly those that involve multiple witnesses and media coverage. I'd highly recommend this for sceptics and non-sceptics alike. (Craig)
Up in the air.
'Up in the Air' mines some awkward comedy from the current global recession [going as far as using extras who were in fact real people who had recently been downsized] as Juno director Jason Reitman adapts the Walter Kirn novel from 2001. Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) works for a company whose employees travel the country laying people off. He also really likes to travel. Having structured his life into an almost zen-like aesthetic of isolation, he only has one goal in life: to reach the much heralded 10 million air miles in travel. However things take a turn when his boss (an oily Jason Bateman) hires a new young wiz-kid (Anna Kendrick) who wants to revolutionize the way they work by firing people online. When his boss forces him to take the new kid 'on the road' & show her the ropes, and he meets a female frequent-flyer version of himself (Vera Farmiga) & begins to consider entering into a real relationship, it seems his life is beginning to change. Clooney is great, with his meticulous flying preparations, and his techniques on firing people, he humanises an otherwise cold character, and while Kendrick's character seems a little too naive, it's still a great quirky little film that restores your faith in 'mainstream Hollywood'. (Mark)
Fizzy logic.
Ross Noble is an improvisational comedian of the highest calibre. 'Fizzy Logic', a show from his 2007 Australian tour, is a hilarious romp through Ross's eccentricities, and his unique take on everyday observational comedy. Ross's style is very much keyed into who is in the crowd, so except plenty of audience interaction and gentle teasing. No show is ever the same with Ross so the special features on the disc, consisting of exerts of other shows from the tour, are well worth viewing. He's sweet natured, hyper-kinetic and deftly astute, it makes a nice change from the cruel cynicism of so many top comedians. I'd definitely recommend you check if out if you're at all a fan of rambling non-sequential absurdist humour. (Craig)
It's complicated.
The lead roles are played by Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin. I'm a huge fan of Meryl Streep, so already this movie for me was 5 stars before I even saw it. A hilarious look at marriage, divorce and affairs. It's about when opposites attract all over again. The philandering ex- husband has married again, and the ex-wife has built a booming business and life for herself. However after 10 years apart, and on a weekend trip to New York to see one of their 3 children graduate - and a few alcoholic beverages in the mix - one thing leads to another. But, it doesn't stop there... their attraction for each other has resurfaced and the affair begins, this time she's the other woman! (Ethel)
Man vs. wild..
I grabbed this for my son to watch thinking it would be a faintly interesting way to while away a few hours on these wintery afternoons. Of course I made the mistake of sitting down to watch an episode with him and now I'm firmly convinced this may be the greatest show ever made. Essentially, the show features rugged outdoors legend Bear Grylls (as in teddy bear, not grizzly, he's a fabulously affected English toff you see), getting dropped into all sorts of uncomfortable places (deserts, mountain ranges, swamps, rainforest etc) and he has to find his way to civilization again, armed with a cup, a knife and a flint. The hook to the show is that he's doing this solo, with no help at all, of course the camera crew along for the ride are obviously filming everything, but they are not allowed to help him. All of this is massively ridiculous, it's clearly a mighty ruse that he's doing it 'solo' and the plethora of fascinating camera shots and startling surprises would suggest it's all a matter of travelling to one spot, staging a bit of a drama, and heading off. That said, it's brilliant! Who cares if it's a bunch of spurious nonsense because Bear eats maggots from rotting carcasses, bites the heads off live snakes and chows down on all manner of things you'd not want to come within fifty feet of (you've not lived till you see what he can do with a skunk). Plus, as a bonus, he teaches you every tick you'll ever need to know should you suddenly find yourself lost atop an Alaskan glacier, knee deep in quicksand, being attacked by an alligator, or wondering just how you're going to turn that rotten sheep you found into a sleeping bag. I can't get enough of it and I hate reality television with a passion. Give it a go; just so you can hear him say in virtually every episode, "you got to bite the head off the maggot before you eat it because that's the really disgusting part, not that the rest is any better". (Craig)
Zombieland.
The very phobic 'Columbus' (Jesse Eisenberg ) has survived the Zombie apocalypse by following a very strict set of rules. Most of these, however, come under stress as he hitches a ride with fellow survivor 'Tallahassee' (a bug-eyed Woody Harrelson) a gun-toting, bourbon-swigging, zombie killing bad ass. When their ride gets heisted by two con-artist sisters 'Wichita' & 'Little Rock' (Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin) what follows is a pretty funny road-movie/zombie-fest as the two groups team up to head to a Fantasy Park in L.A that is supposedly 'Zombie free'. A tad uneven, but definitely a solid entry in the Zombie-comedy stakes. Worth a look if you're a 'Shaun of the Dead Fan' and hey, who isn't... (Mark)
Did you hear about the Morgans.
Well it was panned by the critics and had a very short run in movie theatres here, but this film is still quite a nice watch on a cold winter's evening. One very big bonus is that instead of Wellington's grey skies and freezing temperatures you get to see the wide blue skies and sunny climes of Wyoming (and quite a bit of wonderful New York). The pairing of Sarah Jessica Parker and Hugh Grant is an odd one and the story is rather trite, but Grant's many witty one- liners save the day. (Sue)
MythBusters. Season 4.
'Myth Busters' is my secret addiction. Not that its much of secret now, but I'm hooked on Jamie, Adam, Tori, Kary and Grant's misadventures in the building things and blowing them up game. Season 4 finds them doing absolutely nothing new at all. And that's perfect in my books, why mess about with something that's established a great pattern of mayhem and mirth. This season they try new and exciting experiments like exposing the Coke & mentos exploding stomach myth, building superhero gadgets, seeing of you can actually fold a piece of paper more than seven times, having fun with self hypnosis, running away from crocodiles and playing at pirates. There's all manner of new and weird myths to bust and even a MacGyver special. The set is 21 hours long! So you can dip in anywhere and be assured of some fun. It's all fluff and silly science but honestly with winter closing in that's just what you need. (Craig)
Eagle eye.
We enjoyed Eagle Eye which was a good thriller action movie. Good storyline with lots of good graphics. It was an M rating. (Brigid)
Our AV collection
Search for the latest AV material in these categories:
DVDs by genre:
Check out the monthly lists of our latest DVDs, and the reviews on the AV Recent Picks page in MyLibrary.
Featured books
The underlined titles will take you directly to our catalogue. Some featured items are linked via a book cover to enable you to read more reviews.
Clint : a retrospective, Richard Schickel.
"There's no paucity of books on Eastwood. Indeed, Time film critic Schickel penned a substantive biography in 1997. What sets his new effort apart is his intimate familiarity with Eastwood and his work. Schickel's known the star for 33 years and begins here with a lengthy introduction that serves as an overview of his career while it recounts revealing personal moments with Eastwood. A chronological, film-by-film account of his oeuvre follows, from the mid-1960s Italian spaghetti westerns and his breakthrough (the moment when a star becomes a superstar) in Dirty Harry to his recent, commercially bold treatments of race relations, Gran Torino and Invictus. Schickel assesses each movie with breezy insight, justly praising landmarks like Unforgiven and Million Dollar Baby but not letting friendship prevent honest appraisal of such lesser achievements as Pink Cadillac and The Rookie. Some 300 photos, many from behind the scenes, take up as much space as the text. A lavish tribute to Eastwood's singular career, which no other actor-director since Chaplin has equaled in terms of commercial and artistic success. --Gordon Flagg" (Amazon.co.uk)
Serial television : big drama on the small screen, Glen Creeber.
"Serial Television focuses on contemporary television drama, offering detailed accounts of hugely popular, influential, and groundbreaking shows such as The Sopranos, Queer as Folk, Sex and the City, Twin Peaks, This Life, Prime Suspect, Cold Lazarus, The Kingdom, Holocaust, Heimat, and Roots." (Amazon.com)
The television genre book, edited by Glen Creeber.
"Studying the major television genres (e.g., drama, comedy, news, documentary) is critical to appreciating the television medium as a whole. With this work, first published in England by the British Film Institute, editor Creeber (Dennis Potter: Between Two Worlds; A Critical Assessment) aims to give telecommunications students a means of investigating and appreciating these genres. Focusing mainly on American and British TV, internationally recognized telecommunications scholars furnish capsule explanations of various aspects of TV news and entertainment. Each article includes a recommended reading list, and an exhaustive bibliography is provided at the end of the book. "Grey box" studies that give more focused attention to critical issues and standout programs are situated throughout. A quality addition to any telecommunications collection, this is recommended primarily for academic libraries. David M. Lisa, Wayne P.L., NJ
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc." (Amazon.com)
Family guy and philosophy : a cure for the petarded, edited by J. Jeremy Wisnewski.
"Family Guy and Philosophy brings together low-brow, potty-mouthed, cartoon humor and high-brow philosophical reflection to deliver an outrageously hilarious and clever exploration of one of TV's most unrelenting families. Ok, it's not that high-brow." (Amazon.com)
Contemporary French cinema : an introduction, Guy Austin.
"This book is an essential introduction to popular French film of the last 35 years. It charts recent developments in all genres of French cinema with analyses of over 120 movies, from Les Valseuses to Caché. Reflecting the diversity of French film production since the New Wave, this clear and perceptive study includes chapters on the heritage film, the thriller and the war movie, alongside the 'cinéma du look', representations of sexuality, comedies, the work of women film makers and le jeune cinéma. Each chapter introduces the public reception and critical debates surrounding a given genre, interwoven with detailed accounts of relevant films. Confirmed as a major contribution to both Film Studies and French Studies, this book is a fascinating volume for students and fans of French film alike." (Amazon.com)
Book collection
Where to find film books:| The film section | Mainly 791.43 - 791.438 | ||
| Directors | 791.43023, Actors | 791.43092, Film scripts | 791.437 |
| Script writing | 808.23 | ||
| Film editing software (eg Adobe Premier, iMovie, QuickTime) | 778.559, 778.5992, 006.6869 |
Search tips: If you're after something specific such as information on a particular person or film, try a subject or keyword search in our catalogue.
Check the large book section and reference books if you can't find anything in the normal-size sequence.
Magazine roundup
Want to check out what's in the latest issue of your favourite movie magazine? Here are some links to either the magazine's website, or (where available), the fulltext of the magazine through our online databases. Enjoy!
American Cinematographer online
Camcorder User & DVD Movie Maker online
Cineaste fulltext
Empire UK and Oz online
Entertainment Weekly fulltext
Film Comment fulltext
Filmfare online
Newsreel = Newsreel is reference only and kept on the 2nd Floor of the central library.
For details on the latest issue, visit Newsreel online
NZfilm online
Onfilm online
Premiere fulltext
SFX online
Sight & Sound online
Uncut online
Note: to read articles online, you must have logged into EBSCO during the past month on the computer you are using.
What's on?
Local Cinemas
Deluxe Cinemas (The Embassy) | Empire (Island Bay) | Lighthouse Cinemas | Paramount Cinema | Penthouse Cinema | Reading Cinemas
Cinema guides
Tonight Guide - Session times for Embassy, Paramount, Rialto and Penthouse.
Wellington Film Society - Join the society or buy a sampler to see old and new gems from throughout the world.
What's On in Wellington
Wellington Film Guide - Session times and reviews for current and upcoming releases.
Noremote.co.nz - Session times for films in all Wellington (and Christchurch) theatres.
Online movie resources
Databases
All Movie Guide - Huge database featuring reviews, actor biographies, cast/credits info, genre keyword searching amongst other features.
ForeignFilms - Database & news.
Internet Movie Database - Similar to allmovie.com, but arguably more extensive. Movie news, biographies, user-ratings, plot summaries, photo galleries and more.
Movie Review Query Engine - Easy to use movie review database. Links to full text reviews of over 39,000 films.
Local Festivals
Fringe Film Festival July.
OutTakes Lesbian & Gay Film Festival Late May/early June.
Wellington Film Festival July-August.
International Festivals
Film Festivals - a portal site for festivals and film news.
Cannes
The Film Festival Server
Sundance
New Zealand Film
Lonely Geek NZ cinema guide - Links to industry sites.
Lord of the Rings location guide
The Film Archive - Includes Events Calendar.
New Zealand Film Commission
Pipers NZ film links
Spada - Screen Production and Development Association
Zeroland - NZ film section
NZ News, Reviews, Media
Screen Hub - daily online film and television industry news & vacancies.
Lumiere - NZ site with film criticism, reviews and forum.
New Zealand Herald - Daily reviews, competitions, entertainment news.
Karate Party - Wellington-based film review site.
International News, Reviews, Media
Agony Booth - "An ongoing inquisition into some of the worst movies humanity has to offer."
Cinescape - Magazine site.
Cinema review - Archived reviews of cinema and video/DVD releases. Provides short synopses; critical reviews; cast and crew information; average reviewer ratings.
Comic Critic - Movie reviews done in comic form.DVD Journal - DVD news, reviews, commentary, 'stuff like that'.
DVD.review.net - 'UK's No.1 DVD review website'.
DVD Talk - DVD reviews and columns.
Empire UK edition. Empire Australian edition.
E-online - Hollywood gossip.
Film Threat
Guardian - great film reviews.
Hotdog - Magazine site.
JoBlo - Latest news, DVD, VHS and cinema reviews; upcoming releases, box office rankings.
Journal of Religion and Film
Masters of Cinema - Substantial material about quality foreign films and classics.
Metacritic - Compares net-wide reviews for film and DVD/Video releases to yield an overall rating.
Moviemaker - Magazine on the 'art and business of making movies'.
New York Times - some of the best reviews and analysis (free registration req'd).
Premiere - Magazine site.
Reelviews - Copious reviews by James Berardinelli.
Roger Ebert - Reviews, interviews & essays, events and 'answer man'.
Rotten Tomatoes - Similar to Metacritic, Rotten Tomatoes compiles net-wide reviews to give an overall 'fresh' or 'rotten' rating.
Self Made Critic
SFgate
U.K. Critic
Uncut - Hybrid magazine focusing on music and film. The offspring of Mojo and Hotdog would look something like this.
Online DVD rentals
Fatso
Movie Shack
DVD Unlimited
Studios and Collectives - International
British Film Institute
Google Film Studio Directory
Universal Studios - Archives and Collections - Features information about Universal studios plus regularly updated exhibitions from the archives.
Movie Studios & Theatrical Companies @ Movies A-Z
Wikipedia Hollywood Movie Studio List
Wikipedia International Movie-Related Topics
VHS/DVD rental & retail
Aro Video - Wellington's home of quality film has an equally excellent website. The fully searchable catalogue is replete with reviews and recommendations. They also have a good range of VHS and DVD titles for purchase.
DVD video NZ
DVD video planet
Manga NZ
Moviehouse
Real Groovy
Smoke CDs - some music DVDs
United Video and U.V. Courtney Place
Video Ezy
Miscellanea
The Movie Wavs Page - Recorded, downloadable, classic movie quotes. Just the thing for that Dirty Harry line you always wanted for your answering machine. See also: The Movie Sounds Database and Reelwavs.
The Oscars
The Razzies
Whoops! - Movie Goofs, Flubs, Flaws and Mistakes.
Comments, ideas?
Contact us (mark.lesueur@wcc.govt.nz)
Last updated 10 August 2010
