Three-time Emmy nominee Melanie Lynskey has been confirmed as starring in “Pike River,” the upcoming dramatic thriller set and shot in New Zealand and centered around one of the country’s worst disasters in modern history.
Signature Entertainment has unveiled a first look of Lynskey alongside co-star Robyn Malcolm, both of whom had been rumoured in the New Zealand press as the film’s lead cast. Lucy Lawless (“Xena: Warrior Princess”) also stars. Signature will launch international sales at the Cannes Film Market.
Directed by Robert Sarkies (“Out of the Blue”) from a script by Fiona Samuel (“Consent”), “Pike River” focuses on the true story of Anna Osborne and Sonya Rockhouse, two women whose friendship empowered them to fight for justice after the Pike River Mine tragedy in 2010, which took the lives of 29 men underground. The feature is produced by Vicky Pope and Timothy White (“I Am Mother”).
“Pike River...
Signature Entertainment has unveiled a first look of Lynskey alongside co-star Robyn Malcolm, both of whom had been rumoured in the New Zealand press as the film’s lead cast. Lucy Lawless (“Xena: Warrior Princess”) also stars. Signature will launch international sales at the Cannes Film Market.
Directed by Robert Sarkies (“Out of the Blue”) from a script by Fiona Samuel (“Consent”), “Pike River” focuses on the true story of Anna Osborne and Sonya Rockhouse, two women whose friendship empowered them to fight for justice after the Pike River Mine tragedy in 2010, which took the lives of 29 men underground. The feature is produced by Vicky Pope and Timothy White (“I Am Mother”).
“Pike River...
- 5/9/2024
- by Alex Ritman
- Variety Film + TV
Here's a key problem with Robert Sarkies' black comedy Two Little Boys: Based on title alone it comes across as something most likely to appeal to either the Disney set or pedophiles. Or both. It is not. Recently nominated for a whopping eleven New Zealand Film Awards, the film stars Bret McKenzie (Flight Of The Conchords) and Hamish Blake (Hamish And Andy) in an adaptation of a novel written by the director's brother, Duncan. And given the presence of McKenzie and Blake it comes as no surprise that things are both funnier and darker than the title implies.Set in Invercargill, New Zealand in the early 1990's, the film follows Nige and his best mate Deano's riotous misadventures as they struggle with their imploding long-term friendship which...
- 11/24/2012
- Screen Anarchy
New Zealander Bret McKenzie has won best song at the Oscars for his song Man or Muppet from feature film The Muppets.
McKenzie’s song beat out song Real in Rio from animate feature Rio, composed by Sergio Mendes and Carlinhos Brown with lyrics by Siedah Garrett.
McKenzie is one half of musical comedy act Flight of the Conchords.
The actor/musician will be seen next in Two Little Boys, alongside Australia’s Hamish Blake.
Hopscotch Films will distribute the film locally, directed by Robert Sarkies, produced by Vicky Pope and Tim White.
McKenzie’s song beat out song Real in Rio from animate feature Rio, composed by Sergio Mendes and Carlinhos Brown with lyrics by Siedah Garrett.
McKenzie is one half of musical comedy act Flight of the Conchords.
The actor/musician will be seen next in Two Little Boys, alongside Australia’s Hamish Blake.
Hopscotch Films will distribute the film locally, directed by Robert Sarkies, produced by Vicky Pope and Tim White.
- 2/27/2012
- by Colin Delaney
- Encore Magazine
Trailer for 'Two Little Boys' directed by Robert Sarkies and based on the book by Duncan Sarkies, starring Bret McKenzie, Hamish Blake and Maaka Pohatu.
'Two Little Boys' is an irreverent comedy about Nige (Bret McKenzie -- Flight of the Concords) and his recently estranged best mate Deano (Hamish Blake). The film follows Nige and Deano's riotous misadventures as they struggle with their imploding long-term friendship which has been put under pressure by an unfortunate incident involving a hot meat pie, a ginger cat and the untimely death of a Scandinavian soccer star.
It opens 15 March 2012 in New Zealand, no word yet on a international release.
'Two Little Boys' is an irreverent comedy about Nige (Bret McKenzie -- Flight of the Concords) and his recently estranged best mate Deano (Hamish Blake). The film follows Nige and Deano's riotous misadventures as they struggle with their imploding long-term friendship which has been put under pressure by an unfortunate incident involving a hot meat pie, a ginger cat and the untimely death of a Scandinavian soccer star.
It opens 15 March 2012 in New Zealand, no word yet on a international release.
- 2/18/2012
- by noreply@blogger.com (Flicks News)
- FlicksNews.net
Comes a Bright Day
"With another twelve world premieres and three international premieres, Generation’s feature-length film program is now complete," the Berlinale's announced today. "A total of 58 short and full-length films from 32 countries have been selected for the Generation Kplus and Generation 14plus competitions." Straight from the release, then, with descriptions from the festival:
Generation 14plus
Comes a Bright Day (Great Britain, by Simon Aboud) – Against the backdrop of an armed robbery at a London jewellers, much more is at stake than money. Where diamonds are involved, love is not far. Cast: Craig Roberts, Imogen Poots, Kevin McKidd, Timothy Spall and others. World Premiere. Site.
Lal Gece (Night of Silence, Turkey, by Reis Çelik) – When the groom lifts the bride’s veil, he is looking into the face of a 14-year-old girl. As tradition has it, a night in the bridal chamber seals the marriage. Cast: Ilyas Salman, Dilan Aksüt and others.
"With another twelve world premieres and three international premieres, Generation’s feature-length film program is now complete," the Berlinale's announced today. "A total of 58 short and full-length films from 32 countries have been selected for the Generation Kplus and Generation 14plus competitions." Straight from the release, then, with descriptions from the festival:
Generation 14plus
Comes a Bright Day (Great Britain, by Simon Aboud) – Against the backdrop of an armed robbery at a London jewellers, much more is at stake than money. Where diamonds are involved, love is not far. Cast: Craig Roberts, Imogen Poots, Kevin McKidd, Timothy Spall and others. World Premiere. Site.
Lal Gece (Night of Silence, Turkey, by Reis Çelik) – When the groom lifts the bride’s veil, he is looking into the face of a 14-year-old girl. As tradition has it, a night in the bridal chamber seals the marriage. Cast: Ilyas Salman, Dilan Aksüt and others.
- 1/12/2012
- MUBI
Production of the New Zealand comedy Two Little Boys, starring Hamish Blake and Flight of the Conchords‘ Bret McKenzie, will start in Southland in January.
Australia’s Fulcrum Media Finance is cash-flowing the Screen Production Incentive Fund rebate, and Hopscotch will distribute the film in Australia and New Zealand.This is the second New Zealand project Hopscotch has supported, following The Strength of Water in 2009.
Two Little Boys is set to begin filming in Southland in January, under the direction of Robert Sarkies and Vicky Pope and Tim White as producers. It’s been financed by the New Zealand Film Production Fund Trust (The Film Fund), Nz On Air, Southern Institute of Technology, Invercargill City Council, Community Trust of Southland, Invercargill Licensing Trust, Film Otago Southland and the Nz Film Commission. Nz Film will handle international sales.
Based on the novel by Duncan Sarkies, the film tells the story of...
Australia’s Fulcrum Media Finance is cash-flowing the Screen Production Incentive Fund rebate, and Hopscotch will distribute the film in Australia and New Zealand.This is the second New Zealand project Hopscotch has supported, following The Strength of Water in 2009.
Two Little Boys is set to begin filming in Southland in January, under the direction of Robert Sarkies and Vicky Pope and Tim White as producers. It’s been financed by the New Zealand Film Production Fund Trust (The Film Fund), Nz On Air, Southern Institute of Technology, Invercargill City Council, Community Trust of Southland, Invercargill Licensing Trust, Film Otago Southland and the Nz Film Commission. Nz Film will handle international sales.
Based on the novel by Duncan Sarkies, the film tells the story of...
- 12/10/2010
- by Miguel Gonzalez
- Encore Magazine
NEW YORK -- Filmmaker Robert Sarkies meticulously brings to life the events of the deadliest rampage in New Zealand history in this harrowing if ultimately less than emotionally resonant docudrama. Although it provides an undeniably gripping, ultrarealistic depiction of the 1990 killing spree that occurred in the small beachside town of Aramoana, Out of the Blue is not likely to make much of an impact on audiences not already familiar with the story.
Shot on the actual locations, the film is done in a cinema-verite style, beginning with bucolic scenes of the townspeople as they go about their business on a lazy morning. A discordant note is stuck by the obvious agitation of one of them, David Gray (Matthew Sunderland), a middle-age loner and gun nut who we see getting into a shouting match with a bank teller. After getting into another angry altercation with a neighbor, the well-armed Gray shoots him and then sets fire to his house.
This leads to a long afternoon in which Gray -- about whom he learn very little in the course of the film -- terrorizes the townspeople with random shootings that eventually resulted in 13 fatalities.
The film largely concentrates on the efforts of the would-be victims to help one another in the face of the murderous chaos, their quiet acts of heroism serving to reduce the ultimate body count. The motivations of the killer are left largely unexplored, save for various hallucinatory interludes suggesting his obvious mental illness.
Ultimately, however, the film, for all its evident verisimilitude, never really demonstrates a compelling reason for being. Without such thematic resonance, it plays like a more elaborate version of one of the dramatic re-creations seen on any number of true-crime television programs.
OUT OF THE BLUE
IFC First Take/The Weinstein Co.
Southern Light Films/Desert Road Films
Credits:
Director: Robert Sarkies
Screenwriters: Graeme Tetley, Robert Sarkies
Producers: Tim White, Steven O'Meagher
Director of photography: Greig Fraser
Production designer: Phil Ivey
Music: Victoria Kelly
Costume designer: Lesley Burkes-Harding
Editor: Annie Collins
Cast:
Nick Harvey: Karl Urban
David Gray: Matthew Sunderland
Helen Dickerson: Lois Lawn
Garry Holden: Simon Ferry
Julie Ann Bryson: Tandi Wright
Paul Knox: Paul Glover
Stu Guthrie: William Kircher
Running time -- 103 minutes
No MPAA rating...
Shot on the actual locations, the film is done in a cinema-verite style, beginning with bucolic scenes of the townspeople as they go about their business on a lazy morning. A discordant note is stuck by the obvious agitation of one of them, David Gray (Matthew Sunderland), a middle-age loner and gun nut who we see getting into a shouting match with a bank teller. After getting into another angry altercation with a neighbor, the well-armed Gray shoots him and then sets fire to his house.
This leads to a long afternoon in which Gray -- about whom he learn very little in the course of the film -- terrorizes the townspeople with random shootings that eventually resulted in 13 fatalities.
The film largely concentrates on the efforts of the would-be victims to help one another in the face of the murderous chaos, their quiet acts of heroism serving to reduce the ultimate body count. The motivations of the killer are left largely unexplored, save for various hallucinatory interludes suggesting his obvious mental illness.
Ultimately, however, the film, for all its evident verisimilitude, never really demonstrates a compelling reason for being. Without such thematic resonance, it plays like a more elaborate version of one of the dramatic re-creations seen on any number of true-crime television programs.
OUT OF THE BLUE
IFC First Take/The Weinstein Co.
Southern Light Films/Desert Road Films
Credits:
Director: Robert Sarkies
Screenwriters: Graeme Tetley, Robert Sarkies
Producers: Tim White, Steven O'Meagher
Director of photography: Greig Fraser
Production designer: Phil Ivey
Music: Victoria Kelly
Costume designer: Lesley Burkes-Harding
Editor: Annie Collins
Cast:
Nick Harvey: Karl Urban
David Gray: Matthew Sunderland
Helen Dickerson: Lois Lawn
Garry Holden: Simon Ferry
Julie Ann Bryson: Tandi Wright
Paul Knox: Paul Glover
Stu Guthrie: William Kircher
Running time -- 103 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 10/19/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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