Valentine's Day - review

I have to admit, I'm not a huge rom-com film watcher these days. I used to enjoy them, back in the 90s, when they all seemed to star Tom Hanks and also there were dinosaurs. (I may be confusing my genres).

Anyway. I was trawling Netflix, looking for something to watch, and for some reason the ensemble piece Valentine's Day caught my eye, so I hit the little play triangle button.

It follows the fates of a loosely connected group of people on Valentine's Day as they explore love, life and like ... dinner.

The thing is, the movie isn't terrible. The characters are mostly nice, rather than awful, and it's perfectly watchable. It's like ... chicken soup out of a can. You know it's not as good or as satisfying as home-made (though I've only made chicken soup once and I accidently drained the broth down the sink), but it's edible enough.

Valentine's Day is like that – it's edible enough.

Review - Hunt for the Wilderpeople

Ricky Baker is considered a problem. He's got a list of offences that are as impressive as they are sad for a 12-year-old.

He's packed off to a foster family in the middle of nowhere, and that's where the fun begins.

His foster mother Bella (Rima Te Wiata) is loving and patient with Ricky, whereas - in contrast - her husband Hec (Sam Neill) is grumpy and standoffish with Ricky.

However, when Bella dies, Hec and Ricky find themselves having to get along. They're also on the run in the wilds of New Zealand's backcountry thanks to a misunderstanding with a bunch of weekend warriors.

I missed this at the movies somehow, but picked it up on DVD and I'm so glad I did. It's a very New Zealand story, and the landscape is almost a third star of the film along with Sam Neill and newcomer Julian Dennison as Ricky.

Hec and Ricky are hilarious together and the story itself is extremely heartfelt. It's a feel-good movie from start to finish (although warning for animal lovers, there is a pet death in there).

Under the steady hand of Kiwi director Taika Waitit, Wilderpeople is an absolute must-see.

Review: Poi E - The Story of Our Song

I was 13 in 1984 when Poi E was released.

Being 13, I was of course deeply invested in the weekly countdown on RTR, the chart show on TV2 that counted down the nation's top 20.

And, like most other 13 year old Kiwis at the time, I was OUTRAGED when that bloody dirge (sorry Foster and Allen) Maggie took a stranglehold on the No 1 spot and hung on... and hung on ... and hung on... for WEEKS.

(When you're 13 in New Zealand in 1984, the weeky countdown is Very Important.)

Then. THEN. Something Happened.

And that something was this:

https://youtu.be/DQLUygS0IAQ

The song, obviously, is Poi E, performed by the Patea Maori Club. It came out of nowhere, smashed Foster and Allen to hell and back, and order was restored on the charts.

Poi E - The Story of Our Song, is a documentary that charts Poi E's success, its enduring appeal, and its very solid and sure place in New Zealand's popular culture.

(It's also the worst earworm ever, because as Taika Waititi and Stan Walker point out in the doco, everyone knows the song, but no one knows the words. So getting it stuck in your head is like POI E ... SOMETHING SOMETHING SOMETHING POI E ....)

ANYWAY. The doco also charts part of the life of Dalvanius Prime, a Maori singer/songwriter who co-wrote Poi E with Ngoi Pewhairangi.

The doco frames itself around Dalvanius and, with archival interview footage (Dalvanius passed away in 2002), and reminiscences from members of the Patea Maori Club, the Patea community, the Ngaruawahia Kid (the one in the video who does the breakdancing), and interviews with members of Dalvanius's family and Kiwis like Waititi, Walker and Sr Dr Pita Sharples, it places Poi E very solidly at the centre of New Zealand culture and history.

Poi E is possibly the most New Zealand/Aotearoa story that ever was.

Patea was facing potential ruin with the closure of the local freezing works, the main employer of the town, and Dalvanius and Poi E came along, as far as I can tell (please correct me if I'm wrong) to give the whole town - and indeed the country - a bit of a lift.

Poi E - The Story of Our Song is well worth seeing. Just. Be ready for the earworm ....

Spy - review

Picture it. 2015, I"m sitting in the movie theatre, waiting for ... something to start. (I can't remember now). A trailer begins, showing Melissa McCarthy falling off a scooter in Rome (or was it Venice?) Somewhere in Italy, anyway. So begins the trailer for Spy, and so begins my eye-roll of yet another hurr-durr look she can't do her job movie.

BUT. I am here to tell you, constant readers, I was tricked. TRICKED, I SAY.

Because instead of a terrible hurr-durr she's terrible movie, Spy is actually great! And funny! And warm! And funny!

Anyway. Ms McCarthy is a handler for the CIA - she's in the basement on the phone while her agent (Jude Law) runs around doing all of the dangerous stunts. However, when the lives of all of the well-known agents are jeopardised, it's up to Ms McCarthy to save the day by going into the field for the first time.

And she's great! She's actually a good agent! There's some great action, and some hilarious moments, and Ms McCarthy is not afraid to voice her opinions to anyone who stands still long enough to hear them.

The movie also features Allison Janney and Miranda Hart, and the chemistry between Ms McCarthy and Ms Hart in particular is truly heart-warming.

Spy DOES have a lot of swears, if that's not your particular thing, but the rest of it is so great, that it's worth it.

AND it highlights and celebrates female friendships. It's so warm and likeable - like a golden retriever that knows swear words.