Sunny Suljic and Na'kel Smith star in Jonah Hill's touching skate film, Mid90s. Photo / Supplied
Sunny Suljic and Na'kel Smith star in Jonah Hill's touching skate film, Mid90s. Photo / Supplied
FILM
There's lots to like and see at the New Zealand International Film Festival and Mid90s, Jonah Hill's tribute to his teenage years and LA's skate culture, is high on my list. Shot on 16mm film, Mid90s tells the story of 13-year-old Stevie (Sunny Suljic), who finds friends and belonging withan older crew of misfit skaters, who hang out and work in a local skate shop. The characters and plot have greater depth than first appears and Hill does a fine job of encapsulating the spirit of the skate community while dealing with serious themes around fractured families and growing up. Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (Oscar winner for his work on The Social Network) did the surprisingly warm film score, while A Tribe Called Quest, Wu-Tang Clan, Mobb Deep and Cypress Hill, all feature on a hip-hop-heavy soundtrack curated by Hill. I recently watched this movie on a plane and fell in love with the heartfelt yet edgy story, but need to view it in a proper theatre as it's meant to be seen.
GIG
Mike Skinner is bring The Streets to Auckland and Wellington next week. Photo / Supplied.
UK hip-hop maestro Mike Skinner is bringing The Streets back to our shores next week for his first visit Down Under since the 2007 Big Day Out. Skinner called time on The Streets back in 2011, after achieving critical and commercial acclaim across six albums and a long list of singles - including Fit But You Know It, Don't Mug Yourself and Dry Your Eyes – but resurrected the project following the April release of a Remixes & B-Sides collection. Birmingham's lyrical Artful Dodger is playing Auckland's Town Hall on Monday before hitting the Michael Fowler Centre in Wellington on Tuesday. Tickets are $79.90 but get in quick as they're going fast.
WATCH
If you haven't already heard, City On A Hill is the best thing on television right now. This gritty drama takes us back to the early 90s, when Boston was bursting with violent criminals and the local law enforcement plagued by corruption and racism. That all supposedly came to an end with what was called the Boston Miracle and City on a Hill offers a fictional account of how that change occurred. Kevin Bacon is fantastic as coke-snorting on-the-take but revered FBI veteran Jackie Rohr, who forms an unlikely alliance with ambitious Brooklyn-imported district attorney Decourcy Ward (Aldis Hodge). Together they move to bring down a blue-collar Irish Catholic family of bank robbers from Charlestown, in a case that envelops and ultimately transforms the entire landscape of the city's justice system. Boston natives Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are executive producers and together with creator and fellow local Chuck MacLean, provide the show with stunning detail and authenticity.
