New Zealand International Film Festival

[silversurfer19]

Just had to comment on how excited I am for the NZ IFF which has just been announced and starts in a few weeks. While a movie I was hoping for isn't playing (Attack The Block) and a few movies have clashed and so I won't be able to see them (I Saw The Devil, 13 Assassins, Metropolis, La Dolce Vita - though I have seen the two latter movies on the big screen before), there is a great selection which I'm very excited for. They include:

Submarine
The Tree Of Life
The Man From Nowhere (maybe Chien knows a little about this Korean movie, but the premise looks awesome)
Taxi Driver (35mm Remaster)
Martha Marcy May Marlene
The Kid With A Bike
Tyrannosaur (Paddy Considine in his directorial debut - sounds great)
Arietty
Take Shelter
The Yellow Sea (After The Chaser my anticipation for this is sky high)
Troll Hunter

I may also catch Snowtown too, but I have plenty to watch in just the two week timeframe!

[undeadmonkey]

oooh, do keep us updated.

That was one of the great things about living in LA, there were tons of festivals, and it was always great seeing a movie that you know very little of and doesn't yet have that stigma of people saying, "ugh, it was awful", or "it was the best movie ever". I find that i usually have a better movie watching experience when i have no preconceived expectations forced on you by others.

[silversurfer19]

Yeah, this is the only film festival we get in a year, so I pretty much spend every penny I have trying so see movies which we either a) won't get for months, or b) not get at all! And it'll be good to see some movies that won't be out in the US for a while too, as you say, it allows you to go in with a mostly fresh attitude towards the movie. It's just difficult trying to fit them all in. In an ideal world I'd be watching about 25 of the movies announced, but due to schedule clashes and lack of cash (I mean, the 11 movies we have scheduled are going to cost us $330 NZD [probably about $300 USD] for the two of us) it's just not feasible. Just got to hope the few remaining movies are released in the regular season.

[BanksIsDaFuture]

I'm super interested in both Take Shelter and MMMM, let us know what you think of them.

And Trollhunter is on demand here, although I don't know if I want to spend $7 on it.

[Buscemi]

The Tree of Life is starting here on Friday.

[Chienfantome]

Isn't there a pass for the festival ? Like, you pay 50$ and you can see all the films playing at the festival ?

It all sounds great indeed. OF the film you cite, I have already seen The Tree of Life, The Man from Nowhere, Martha Marcy May Marlene, The Kid with a Bike and Arietty, and none of them are bad movies.
I'm not high on the Dardennes, so The Kid with a Bike did not overwhelm me, but it's watchable. The Man from Nowhere is a good entertainment. I've seen it at a Korean Festival last year, and it's a great action film. MMMM is excellent, and Arietty is a little gem like only Ghibli know how to make them.

And I'm like you, my expections are sky high about The Yellow Sea, I can't wait to see it. It's opening in a month here, I'm pretty sure I'll be seeing it opening day

[silversurfer19]

Oh right, maybe I'll give The Kid With A Bike a second thought then, it was only because I knew The Child was good (if flawed) that I was interested in seeing it. If it isn't that good though I may give it a miss. I wasn't sure how good Airetty would be considering it isn't directed by Miyazaki, but it's got good reviews so far. The Yellow Sea is the second to last movie on my schedule, so it's likely we'll be watching it at the same time!

And no, they don't do a pass like that, they do a ten trip pass which saves like $40, but you have to turn up on the day and just hope there are seats available. For movies like The Tree Of Life (which only has one screening) and Taxi Driver I'm not willing to take that chance, plus it ensures you get decent seats too which are important to my viewing pleasure. It's a rip off, but it's the only way I can ensure I see the movies I want to. Plus I have pretty much seen every film so far this year for free (I use Twitter and Facebook to score free tickets), so I guess it balances out in the end.

[Chienfantome]

I can only understand your desire to be seating at the right place in the theater, I'm a maniac about my positioning in a theater... It drives some of my friends crazy
Really, you get to see the films for free almost every time thanks to Twitter and Facebook. Great !

For The Kid with a bike, maybe I'm not the right person to take advice from. As I said, I'm not an amateur of the Dardennes. PLus the film still got the Grand Prix at Cannes, which is like the Silver Palm, and it got great reviews. So maybe it's just me and my inability to apreciate what the begian brothers do...
Arietty is a bit more child-oriented than the best Miyazaki stuff, but it's still good.

[numbersix]

So Chien, where in the cinema do you like to sit. I need to know if we're gonna catch a movie.

Personally, the angle doesn't matter (unless it's in the front or the far side of a large screen) as much as the people around me. So I try to sit at the back and near an aisle, giving me as much peace and legroom as possible.

[silversurfer19]

We always sit aon the back row in the middle. And I'm pedantic about being RIGHT in the middle. Our cinema is usually pretty empty so we don't have to deal with other people anyway. For many of the movies we'll be seeing at the fest though we will be sitting on the balcony in the front row in the middle, it gives extra space and a perfect view. It's a lovely old theatre and great for movies.

And I'll probably air with caution of The Kid With A Bike, I wasn't won over by the Child despite some promising ideas, but thought I was alone amongst the clamour of reviews. I was thinknig the new movie might be like The 400 Blows going by its premise. But obviously that may not be the case...

I still enjoy Ghibli even when its focused more to a younger audience, though Ponyo was one of my least favourite of the Studio.

[numbersix]

Our cinemas don't have balconies anymore.

[Buscemi]

One of the theatres here (that sometimes plays movies) has a balcony. It's usually closed but I sneak into it (haven't been caught yet).

[silversurfer19]

Most of ours don't either, this is a grand old theatre in the heart of the city. It is just a nice alternative to the multiplexes and art houses. Maekes you feel part of something austere.

[Chienfantome]

Balconies have become rare here too. Only the last big theaters have some, like Le Grand Rex or the Max Linder Panorama.

No Surfer, The Kid With the Bike is nothing like 400 Blows I'm afraid.

Where I like to sit generally depends of the size of the screening room. In a small or middle size theater, I have developped the very subjective idea that the perfect row is the 5th. I always say to my girlfriend when she has to get inside the theater before me to go for the 5th row if she has a doubt. But in bigger theaters, the 5th row generally is too close to the screen, and I go for the 7th or 8th row. I rarely go further than those. The theater has got to be huge for me to go further. Inside the row I prefer to be near the center of it, but if I'm a few seats away from it, I don't mind that much. The most important thing for me is the distance from the screen. I like to have the perfect balance, to feel like the film is mine and I'm on the verge of delving into it without feeling so close my head aches.
I hate being too close cause it hurts, and I hate being in the back because I feel like I'm watching the film on TV.

But you are right in mentioning the people surounding is important too, Six. I try to avoid little kids, old people and groups of teens because they tend to be noisy.

[silversurfer19]

None of our cinemas are really that big (heck we have a total poulation of 4 million, we don't have that much demand!), and so sitting at the back is not too far away and we don't have to deal with people behind us. I''m one of those guys that always walks around rooms with my hand against a wall or if standing in a room stand right against a wall. I think I may have a problem...