Kiwis get film. Even apart from PJ’s blockbuster machine at Weta, they’ve had a good decade, with Whale Rider, The World’s Fastest Indian and more recently, Boy, a film by Taika Waikiki, inspired by his short Two Cars, One Night. by Dave Trendall (structure breakdown) and Karel
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As a young teenager, Close Encounters made the deepest impression on me. Five years later, E.T. became the first movie I ever went to see a second time in the cinema. It made me officially a Steven Spielberg fan. by Dave Trendall (structure breakdown) and Karel Segers
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2010 was the year for David Michôd’s critically acclaimed Animal Kingdom , which won a prize at Sundance, dominated the 2010 AFI Awards at home and recently got Jackie Weaver an Academy Award nom for Best Supporting Actress. by Nina Warren The aim of my analysis is
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I have written before why in my view Up In The Air didn’t work for a mainstream audience despite the generous attention the film received around Oscar time last year. This time we look at the detailed structure in acts and sequences. Only now, at the time
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While True Grit has become the biggest hit ever for the Coen brothers, let’s go back and look at their breakthrough hit. Raising Arizona was released twenty-four years ago and made $29m worldwide, then exceptional for an indie. Quite often I see filmmakers take liberties with conventional
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I have huge respect for filmmakers who make a statement about the world – or even want to change the world – by using metaphors. District 9 is a South-African film about apartheid. Millions have seen it all over the world … and enjoyed it. You may
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It’s by far the most talked-about movie of the year, because of its high concept and intelligent execution. The movie has an aura of complexity but when you examine the dramatic structure carefully, it is deceptively simple. See for yourself. My first viewing of Inception was at
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The second movie in the Toy Story trilogy resonates with me the most. Toy Story 3 builds on it thematically, far more than on the first installment. Like all Pixar pics, Toy Story 2 is not just a kids movie. It digs deeply into the fears of its
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