A chocka year of Kiwi fare

Back in the day, a reviewer’s heart might sink at the prospect of having to review a New Zealand movie. Quite aside from the awkwardness of probably knowing someone involved in its production (the industry being so small and our film-going circle being by extension so incestuous), the Kiwi tendency towards “cultural cringe” meant that often it was the audiences who would baulk at hearing themselves on screen. Sam Neill once famously described our national oeuvre as “the cinema of unease” and critics have indeed had many uneasy moments as the New Zealand Film Commission logo swam across the opening credits.

Well, something’s in the water, because 2014 has proved to be something of a zenith for locally-produced fare. No fewer than 15 Kiwi films found a general release, with several more debuting in the NZ International Film Festival (and hopefully slated for release next year). And boy, were there some smash-hits.

My personal Top 6 include the old folks’ documentary Hip Hop-eration and vampire mockumentary What We Do in the Shadows, along with the enchanting Fantail, the bravura P.I. gangster movie The Last Saint, festival horror hit Housebound and the witty and inventive identity theft of Jake.

Further to this, audiences were in ecstasy as Boy’s James Rolleston matured before our very eyes in The Dark Horse and The Dead Lands. True stories were writ large in The Z-Nail Gang and 3 Mile Limit. Never before has the industry been such a hive of self-produced, Number 8 wire filmmaking capability – and never before have viewers felt so confident about spending their hard-earned dollar.

And of course there was the final Hobbit. Whatever one feels about Sir PJ’s treatment of the beloved tale, he can be thanked for pimping New Zealand as a prime location and producer of quality cinema. As a country we should be proud. Keep watching this space.

Hip Hop-eration

This review first appeared in the Sunday Star-Times, 28th September 2014

Regardless of your age or musical inclinations, this unashamedly feel-good local documentary will have you tapping your toes and whooping for joy.

Hip Hop-eration charts the delightful true story of a group of pensioners from Waiheke Island whose goal is to perform at the World Hip Hop Dance Championships in Las Vegas. Ranging in age from 65 to a laudable 94, the crew don hoodies and chains, learn some moves and start rehearsing. Inspired and led by the irrepressible Billie Jordan (whose affection for the elderly is touchingly portrayed throughout), our plucky geriatrics are determined to challenge prejudices – their own (“It doesn’t have much of a beat, does it?” laments one dignified ex-musical performer) and the audience’s (this is a world where the wheelchair-bound krumper gets centre stage).

There are inevitable comparisons to the similarly heartwarming Young @ Heart which saw a choir of American senior citizens visiting prisons to share their renditions of modern day songs by Radiohead, Coldplay and the like. Here, too, our forebears embrace the music of the youth of today, and much of the humour necessarily derives from this unexpected crossing of generational boundaries. But the journey goes in both directions – when the reigning national champions from Otara jump on a ferry across the harbour to cheer on their fellow participants, the instant connection is incredibly affecting.

It’s not all fun and games (although, OK, there’s a lot of that). Writer/director Bryn Evans captures the essence of our “characters” by hearing about their lives and back-stories pre-Waiheke. There’s Maynie “Quick Silver” who peace-marched across American during the Vietnam War, and Terri “Two Cents” who speaks passionately about life with her husband of many decades. The film almost doubles as a gentle history lesson, full of personal tales of bygone days and old-world attitudes.

But it’s when the fluoro legwarmers are unfurled and the hoodies zipped up that the excitement peaks. With a sensational local soundtrack and its subjects’ infectious charm, Hip Hop-eration runs you through the gamut of emotions and leaves you feeling on top of the world.