Wizard of Oz.
Pic: BTG090821REG2 Caption: Jungle Cruise.
Pic: BTG090821REG3 Caption: The Justice of Bunny King Still.
Pic: BTG090821REG4 Caption: Wizard of Oz.
It's August, and a lot of great films are coming to the Regent Pahiatua this month. Continuing its run is Dating Amber, the 1990s-era Irish rom-com-dram about two teenagers who decide to stage a relationship to stop everyone speculating about their sexuality.
The film is poignant, honest and a very funny look at the highs and lows of teenage life. It tackles the great, teenage conundrum of "the only way to fit in is to be something you're not".
Also playing this month is the critically acclaimed Kiwi picture, The Justice of Bunny King. Gaysorn Thavat, a former assistant camera assistant, directs her first feature.
In it, Aussie actor Essie Davis (The Babadook, Game of Thrones) plays Bunny, a feisty, diamond-in-the-rough single mother who is on a mission to reunite with her children. With government agencies and a lot of life standing in the way, she decides to pick up her niece (Thomasin McKenzie: Jojo Rabbit, Old) and head out on a spontaneous and unpredictable road trip.
Premiering at the prestigious Tribeca Film Festival, Bunny King has been nominated for the Nora Ephron award and "has a huge heart, as embodied by an absolute powerhouse of performance from Davis". (Dominic Corry, New Zealand Herald).
The film you've never heard of but are bound to enjoy award for 2021 goes to The Man in the Hat. In the title role is Ciaran Hinds (Game of Thrones, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) who sets off from Marseilles, France, in a Fiat 500 with a framed photo of an unknown woman.
In pursuit are five suspicious bald men in a Citroen 2CV. What do they want? Where are they going? It doesn't matter. With little dialogue, the film owes more to Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin than anyone in modern history.
The film boasts 100 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes and has been called "an astonishing feat of contemporary filmmaking...a beautifully framed odyssey of music, storytelling, and silent comedy".
The long-awaited Walt Disney adventure Jungle Cruise is finally crawling into the cinema. Based on one of Disneyland's quintessential rides, the film follows an eccentric and adventurous British scientist (Emily Blunt) on a mission deep into the Amazon to find the Tree of Life.
Alongside her is a cynical but noble skipper (Dwayne Johnson) who floats a ramshackle boat downriver only to meet innumerable dangers and supernatural forces. It's Indiana Jones meets Pirates of the Caribbean, and it's sure to be a good, fun, family ride.
Wrapping out the month of August is the Tararua Cinematheque's screening of The Wizard of Oz. The night (August 30) will feature a 4K restoration of the 1939 Technicolor classic along with the 1910 silent short film that put Dorothy and Toto on the big screen for the first time. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students. Memberships are also available.
See you at the movies.