Hot Fuzz

I watched this movie on a Saturday night, because I had nothing better to do. Since it was scheduled for a Saturday night, I had very low expectations, but was very pleasantly surprised.

First of all, the cast were perfect for their roles, and second of all, I loved the fast-paced editing. Most importantly, the film was very funny, and an excellent satire of police action-dramas, particularly in the climax. The only problem was, it might have been a bit too clever. I found that I didn't connect to the characters very strongly as the acuteness of the satire often distracted me (albeit very entertainingly).

Good, light entertainment - for a modern generation, who still consider guns and bloody deaths light.

Lessons learned: There is such a thing as being too clever. Maybe audiences want to connect with characters first, ideas second.

Louise-Michel

I saw this movie after Samson and Delilah and I'm glad it wasn't the other way around! Not that I came out of Samson and Delilah depressed - the catharsis at the end was quite intense. But it was very serious, which this film most definitely was not.

Louise-Michel was extremely weird, and extremely funny. There's not too much more to say about it other than that someone has a really good imagination and I wish it was me!

Lessons learned: Be surprising. Use wide shots (comedy needs lots of space) and let the comedy play out naturally - don't cut too much.

Samson and Delilah

This was the first of two films that I saw at The Civic on Thursday, and it was magnificent.

I was drawn to this film first of all because the picture in the film festival guide was stunning. It was a close-up of a curly-haired Aborginal boy in golden late-afternoon sun, staring moodily out of the frame. Secondly, I chose to write a research essay on Aboriginal national cinema last year, and have had a strong interest in Aboriginal films ever since.

This may not be a film for impatient people. There is virtually no dialogue in this 100 minute-long film, but I quickly adapted to this, and the visuals told the story so clearly that the minimal dialogue was well-suited. You might also say that not a lot happens in the film - but you might also say that the story is epic.

Basically, it swept me off my feet. I was on the edge of my seat in utter horror most of the time, as the central characters were repeatedly beaten down, by both outside factors and by themselves. From the first image of a boy waking up and pressing a can of petrol to his face before even getting out of bed, the film is extremely heavy; so heavy that you feel it all through your body. It's heavy, and everything in it is so intensely sad, yet you can never cry as the path of destruction simply continues. Until the very end. Fortunately, there is a little glimmer of hope at the end, and when the film finally cut to black, I broke down instantly in tears.

Lessons learned: Take more interest in the Aboriginal situation in Central Australia. A picture speaks a thousand words. Music is extremely powerful. Repetition isn't necessarily boring.

Themis As A Lady Of Loose Morals

I have to confess, I did fall asleep during this doco, but I think that was just because I was exhausted, not because there was necessarily anything wrong with the film.

I fell asleep in the beginning, which is frustrating because I was probably missing a lot of important contextual information for the rest of the film. In particular, I came out not knowing anything about the Themis of the title. Nevertheless, even without the contextual information this film actually made a very big impact on me in the end. I had previously had no idea about the situation of Belarus. Now I'm completely indignant - why didn't I know? Why isn't it on the news? Why aren't the Americans threatening to invade? Isn't this the kind of thing they normally take a keen interest in?

Belarus is a dictatorship. Lukashenko, their corrupt president, has been in power for the last 15 years. His opponents and those outspoken against him frequently disappear, or find themselves thrown into jail for years without trial. Belarus is pretty much a modern version of Stalinist Russia.

This wasn't necessarily a fantastic documentary in terms of narrative structure or style, but as a feat of human bravery, this was documentary amazing. It consisted of a lot of on-the-spot coverage of events in Belarus, with some narration by the author, commenting on the implications of these events. There were some interviews included - all were impromptu, adding to the urgency that came through everything. Some archival footage was used too, as the author drew comparisons between a convicted Belarusian psychopath and the president of the country. The danger of making this documentary was frequently evident, and I often found myself on the edge of my seat, holding my breath and inwardly begging the cameraman to turn the camera off and potentially save himself from being arrested or beaten or killed.

Lessons learned: Extraordinary footage speaks for itself. Sometimes film making and truth telling will put you into sticky situations, but sometimes they are the most important thing you could ever do.

Yes Madam, Sir

Wow! What a documentary! What an inspiration!

I couldn't fault this film. The subject, Kiran Bedi, maybe every now and then. But the film itself - fantastic!

The documentary drew us along a fascinating, character driven narrative. I was amazed, time and time again, by this extraordinary woman. And then to have the director, Megan Doneman, stand up at the end for a Q&A and reveal that she shot the film herself on Mini DV in breaks between paid jobs over 6 years.... it was fantastic.

I am also making a documentary at the moment on Mini DV, with no money, shooting in my spare time. It's taking a long time and it's hard, but seeing what Megan achieved, and the magnitude of the story she was able to tell through the same simple means, has really revitalised my hope and determination for my own work. Not mention the extraordinary strength and resilience of her subject. I felt like I left the theatre with a gift. I felt like I'd received a transfusion of that same strength from both film maker and film subject alike.

Lessons learned: Anything is possible. Strength, resilience, determination, hope, belief in yourself and good humour will get you everywhere.

Homegrown: Drama on Video

A series of short films made by New Zealand, which I saw on the Sunday morning.

I have to say, I chose to see these films for their educational value, rather than because I thought I'd genuinely enjoy them. There were other options that I thought I'd enjoy more, but since we only make short films at uni, I wanted to see what the festival considered to be the best short films made in New Zealand. After all, I can't afford to make a feature length film, so I'm relying on the ability to make great short films to be my ticket to bigger and better things.

Unfortunately I was disappointed. The films started off very well, with a short about a little boy in America who is both bright and studious, but can't do well at school because he only speaks Spanish, not English. Sadly though, the film started brilliantly and I was totally engrossed, until.... it ended. It just ended without an ending. It was such a sad way to ruin a wonderful film! The concept probably could have been made into a much longer film, and it was nicely shot and directed. Maybe it will be finished properly at a later date.

As for the others, they were generally quite nicely shot, although there were some focus problems in The Big Happiness, but on the whole they were sorely let down by poor scripts and poor pacing. I really hope I can make better, one day!

Lessons learned: No matter the length of the film, it still needs a beginning, middle and end. Slowness is not suspenseful unless the stakes are high.

The Strength of Water

To be honest, I only saw this film because my friend Kikorangi was in it. Otherwise I probably would have chosen something else. The best thing about going to a film with this attitude is that you set yourself up to be pleasantly surprised!

Okay, the film wasn't perfect. Firstly it didn't have enough of Kikorangi in it for my tastes. Some of the acting was a bit wooden and at times it was a bit slow. The photography was extremely beautiful, but I think they fell in love with their shots a bit too much, wanting to include all of them, instead of focusing on what was necessary to tell the story. There was also quite a lot of Maori mysticism, which didn't ring true for me. Possibly it's because I have such a limited experience of Maori culture, but it seemed to me that the picture they painted was a little bit fake.

Despite all of this though, I came out of the film very pleased that I had seen it. I cried twice, which I always consider to be evidence of good film-making. I enjoy the experience of crying in a film. I like the catharsis. I love the sensation of connection. Sure, I may be a connecting with a fictional 2D character, but at least I know I still have the ability to empathise and I'm not desensitised to the struggles of others. As above, I thought the photography was gorgeous and it brought the land to life. It was also a sweet story, although there were several times it appeared to be building to a climax but did not deliver. Never mind, we got there in the end.

Lessons learned: Audiences can forgive poorer acting, as long as the actors keep it simple and sweet. Focus on the story.