The Road That Wasn't There theatre review

Three skilled performers use music, puppetry and shadow play to portray a New Zealand in which secret worlds are hidden.  When our central character returns to the small town where his mother raised him, she promises to at last tell him the truth about his father.  So begins a tale of love, heartache, perseverance and overcoming doubt.

Oliver de Rohan has a gorgeous, rich voice and an easy presence that invites the viewer to follow his story, which soon becomes a journey into his mother's past.  Elle Wootton, as his mother, is not as natural with her character, but her story is engrossing and charming and she keeps the ball in the air with her peppy energy.  Ralph McCubbin Howell's many supporting characters are consistently funny and ridiculous and are always a welcome addition to the action.  Howell is also responsible for the carefully crafted script, which proves itself interesting and efficient.

In fact, the whole production is one tightly rigged ship and it feels like an honour to be a guest on board.  The storytelling employs various techniques, and they come together nicely without puppetry or music or live action taking precedence.

See this show for an utterly beguiling hour of storytelling.

Velcro City theatre review

Present day, small-town NZ.  An elderly couple struggle with the soporific effects of living beside a field of lavender, a couple of high-schoolers pursue love that crosses the popularity divide, and the owners of a vegan cafe face the wrath of angry townsfolk for serving substandard coffee.  These characters and more are brought to us courtesy of Eli Matthewson, Hamish Parkinson, some colourful paper costumes and the titular Velcro.

The Velcro gimmick instantly establishes a cartoonish aesthetic and a fun tone, which is maintained by a steady trickle of laughter at the gags and descriptions of coffee.  The show gets off to a slow start, but as the threads of the story intertwine and the actors change characters more often, the costumes and props start to fly and the viewer begins to question whether Velcro will meet the demands made of it.  The actors work hard to honour the gimmick and the show works best when they're struggling - much like one of those theatresports games with ridiculous rules.

Matthewson and Parkinson are both adept at creating distinct characters, but few of these characters felt fresh or original.  These men are funny, but too many of their jokes failed to tickle me.  I enjoyed my time in  Velcro City, and would like to visit again when there are one or two bigger punchlines on show.

See this for a frivolous story that is strangely compelling and to support some young DIY comedians.

Argo film review

Today I wanted to watch the Oscars ceremony live, but when that proved difficult I decided to go see Argo instead.  How glad I now am to have seen it, knowing it won the 85th Oscar for Best Picture.  I'm going to have to rethink my opinion of Ben Affleck (which was based mostly on vague memories of Bounce, and my addiction to Suri's Burn Book).

Argo is worthy of the praise it has gained.  I enjoyed it immensely.  It felt more mature than a lot of films I've seen lately.  Mature in that it communicated an intricate story but without patronising the audience.  I enjoyed that the dialogue often surrounded the point it was making, rather than hitting it directly.  This provides much richer text for the actors to work with and rewards the viewer for connecting the dots.  It is never exactly cryptic, but the story is allowed to tell itself and unfold without a sense of formula.

Although I did not grow very attached to any character, the cast is universally enjoyable, while the scenery is beautiful and the haircuts are hilarious!  If I'd known about the haircuts I would have seen this film much earlier.

My one gripe is that some of the macho-talk in the CIA offices felt anachronistic.  The high level of swearing felt out-of-character for men in such high office over 30 years ago.  But I was not even alive then so my impression of the time and place may be unfounded.  To clarify, I had no problem with the film executives swearing.  That felt right.

See this film if you want to see an original story with slick production values, an understated approach to emotional content, and some mean haircuts.

Tim Dibley. Masterclass. Theatre review

Tim Dibley's Masterclass is an interesting concept for a show and I believe it could work.  Involving audience members to demonstrate bogus acting techniques and ridiculous scenarios has potential.  In the right hands, it would be funny.

In this case, I did not find it funny.

It could be that his show is a work in progress, but comedy is a funny thing (get it?) and I think I just would not find Tim Dibley funny in any case.  I was reminded of those hypnosis shows that rely on the inherent comedy of people doing things they would not do in daily life.  Well, hardy har har.  As an actor I have done so many ridiculous things in the name of art that two actors kissing each other's elbows no longer gets a reaction from me.  Maybe I'm just jaded.  Maybe the show was not particularly inspired.

Somewhere in there, though, is a kernel of a great idea.  Perhaps the participants need to be more willing.  Perhaps there needs to be more open improvisation - the type that really can lead anywhere.  Perhaps other comedians could make this concept work.

Tim Dibley's onstage persona was funny, but the gags left me cold.  It kept hinting at better things to come, and never really got off the ground.  Frustrating.

See this show if you think nudity is funny.  And if you think nudity means wearing underwear.

Dolly Mixture theatre review

In spite of the family-friendly title, this show is not for children.  The bizarre, colourful characters of Dolly Mixture inhabit a world in which all things are possible, and as events grow ever more macabre, they take each turn in stride.  The bizarre, colourful world of Dolly Mixture is given no explanation except that Tom Sainsbury is present.

Sainsbury creates a piece that sidesteps criticism by creating not only a new world, but a new theatrical language.  The acting sometimes seemed terrible, but it always felt intentionally so.  Some stage effects were elaborate while at other times cigarettes and beverages were mimed.  Lighting states were dictated by actors and songs were improvised to fill time (were those songs improvised? was it to fill time?).

Dolly Mixture is a play (I guess) of assorted treats.  They don't always taste good, and are seldom in good taste, but they do entertain.  I was shocked, frightened, surprised, grossed out, amused and confused.  That is a lot of things to be in 60 minutes.

I would probably not have attended this show had I known what to expect, but I am glad I did.  I was only disappointed that the many many dolls on the set were underused.

See this show if you enjoy quirky characters, horror, and are not easily offended.

Elevator theatre review

Three women are trapped together in a broken elevator.  It's an easy gimmick to provide a platform to showcase writing and acting, but one forgives the lazy set-up when both these elements are strong.  The writer/actor in question is Jess Sayer, and she, indeed, proves herself talented in both fields.  Sayer's dialogue is as naturalistic as her characterisation is slight and emoting understated.  Her gentle presence is inviting and she's very pretty - I expect we'll be seeing a lot more of her in years to come.

Sayer shares the stage with Michelle Hine and Lauren Gibson.  The three complement each other very well and I enjoyed the mother-daughter dynamic between Gibson and Hine.  What drives the story and keeps the viewer interested in these three is that they evidently have a rich history together.  The script's strongest element for me was that it hinted at the back-story little by little and let the story unravel at a natural pace.  Although the "big secret" was fairly obvious from the start, the tension of keeping this secret builds in such a way that its eventual reveal is quite satisfying.

What lets Elevator down is, in this case, not gears and winches but the performances of Gibson and Hine.  While I enjoyed them at the top of the play, Gibson soon settled into a pattern of alternately sulking and shouting; the lack of variety grew tiresome.  Hine, meanwhile, plays a very recognisable mother, and provides the calm centre amidst Sayer's neuroses and Gibson's explosiveness.  However, her more candid did not quite ring true.

See this play for the fresh new script.

The Bitches' Box

A play about two bitches on heat, one teaching the other the ways of breeding with the many dogs about to come her way.  Genius!  Why has no one thought of this before?

Emma Newborn and Amelia Guild present us with a startlingly original look at life on the farm in rural New Zealand.  They each take on three characters, all of whom have the audience in stitches at frequent intervals.  I love laughing, so this pleased me greatly.  Each episode celebrates a different aspect of life and what makes being a dog so enjoyable.  Dogs are happy creatures, and also extremely sensual.  Apparently, they speak of the facts of life very factually.  They celebrate their freedom when they have it, and enjoy a hard day's work.  Kind of makes one wish to be a dog.

But these are anthropomorphised dogs.  And there's the rub; these qualities are available to humans too.  In this sense I found The Bitches' Box uplifting.  Work hard, seek pleasure, love life.  Well, ok!  Don't mind if I do!

I know nothing of life on farms, or what a real bitch's box looks like, but the details in the script do well to educate the viewer on certain subjects.  Considering the show was developed for a rural audience, I was surprised to find it so city-friendly.  Universality and all that.

See this play if you want to spend an hour laughing and are intrigued by the idea of dogs that sing and dance.  Actually, JUST SEE IT!  I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Wild Southern Beasts film review

Wild Southern Beasts is a film in which there are people...and they do things.  That's as much as I got out of it.

I didn't connect at all with the lead character, so found it very difficult to care about anything that happened.  Furthermore, I struggled to understand the motives each character had for their actions.  I could suppose why certain people did certain things - but without enough evidence to support any particular argument I found myself simply frustrated.  Never before has a 90 minute feature felt so long.

This is not to say that the film lacks action, but somehow none of it managed to engage me.  My failure to connect with the film may be due to the fact I have nothing in common with any of the characters.  Am I that vain?  Maybe, but I don't lack sympathy.  It is rare that I care so little about imaginary people and their imaginary lives.  I can be quite a bleeding heart, so for me to care so little is rather a feat.  Also, there are very few people in the world who would relate easily to savage humans choosing to live in squalor - and those people are the cinema-going types.  Wow, I've never before felt like such a condescending WASP.

Wild Southern Beasts is pretty, and the music is good...other than that I just don't have much to say.  Sadly , I found the whole thing not just forgettable but something I wish to forget.

See this film if you like crappy films like About Schmidt and The Horse Whisperer.

Flight film review

An engrossing story of redemption, religion, rehabilitation and being a kick-ass pilot.  Denzel Washington skilfully balances arrogance and vulnerability as our recession-era hero struggling to dig himself out of the hole he has drunk his way into.

Flight has a strong cast, although it buys into a few character cliches, and the cinematography is as boring as it gets so the film then depends heavily on having interesting dialogue and a plot with substance.  Thankfully, there is substance...or at least...there's substance abuse!  Throw in a love story and some gratuitous nudity and you know you're watching a Hollywood-friendly film.

It is nothing new to see drugs on screen, but the topic of alcohol dependency is not often explored with great depth.  I appreciate that Zemeckis presents us with a range of attitudes to alcoholism, and also demonstrates how high-functioning an addict can be.  His approach is to raise questions and provide opposing arguments - which is certainly more engaging than giving clear-cut answers.  His account of alcoholism and how it affects lives felt fair.  However, this film also raises a lot of questions about destiny, fate, and the mysterious hand of God - but without the same follow-through.  I felt cheated that such a rich subject was introduced and given such little consideration.

Flight has a lot going for it, and also several things going against it.  Its use of music provides the perfect analogy: the soundtrack's soul and Motown hits add to the pathos of several scenes.  Rather than admiring this, though, I felt it was a tired technique employing tired songs.  Where's the element of surprise?  Invention?  Why does a black character have to like music by black artists that is popular with white folk?

See how this film raises more questions than answers?!

See this film if you wish to ponder life and are sympathetic to compulsive behaviour, or if you want to see Don Cheadle steal every scene he's in.

One last question: Zemeckis has a lot of films that involve planes.  What's with it, dude?

A Night to Dismember theatre review

A Night To Dismember is comedian Will Greenway's one-man show now on at The Basement, as part of Auckland Fringe Festival.  It's pretty much exactly what one looks for in a fringe show: quirky, unlikely and highly entertaining.

Greenway is a storyteller more than an actor, and his humour relies on toilet jokes, absurd turns of events and ridiculous similes.  I thought I was above such material, but his delivery was so slick that I found myself won over (that was me losing it in the front row).  Yes, the jokes are genuinely funny but Greenway also charms with his easy manner and beautiful voice.  I enjoyed his performance from beginning to end, and admired the pace at which he kept things cracking along.  His mind is evidently a quick one.

And it is in the mind that much of this show takes place.  Greenway's actions are minimal and tend to illustrate his prose rather than add to it.  Such a style could work on radio, or around a campfire.  For me, it also worked on a bare stage.  In fact, the few occasions that did seem muddy occurred when Greenway used a wig to take on another character.  This felt unnecessary and I just struggled to reconcile what I was seeing with the character described.  This man paints images with words very well, and the visual "aid" contradicted its purpose for me.

I urge you to support this funnyman in this and his future endeavours.  A Night to Dismember is a show that plays by its own rules, and those rules become clear only as time goes on.  Yet it speaks a language that is accessible and very current.  It should appeal to man-children and woman-children alike.

See this show if you are willing to imagine new things and hear a surprising, unique story (with universal themes).

The Impossible film review

Most.  Gut-wrenching.  Film.  Ever.  I emerged from the cinema emotionally drained and, after returning home, needed to lie down to recover.  This film will be with me for a while.  Some of its images will replay in my mind.  Some of its dialogue will ring in my ear.  Mostly though, what will stay with me is the way it made me feel.  I sobbed, whimpered, cried, often felt sick to the stomach and it plumbed the depths of my snot-reservoir.

The Impossible is not for the faint-hearted, but for those who can stand the suspense, the graphic images, and an overwhelming sense of devastation, it is a rewarding watch.

Naomi Watts' magnetism loses none of its lustre, even as her character's energy fades.  This is the grittiest role I have seen her in and she turns in an outstanding performance.  It's a tough performance to beat, in this competitive awards season.  Even so, Tom Holland, playing her eldest son Lucas, proves himself a worthy screen-partner.  For a young actor to achieve such a mature performance is a feat that mirrors his character's story:  in many ways, The Impossible is the story of Lucas and his unfair rite of passage, having the responsibilities of manhood thrust upon him suddenly and too soon.

Much of the drama and poignancy is owed to the sympathy one naturally feels for the blameless victims of a natural disaster that still feels close to home, less than a decade on.  But in lesser hands, one may have felt only pity.  Juan Antonio Bayona's masterful treatment of the story is such that one responds with a wide range of emotions.  He builds suspense as well as Hitchcock, endears us to characters as well as Richard Curtis and shocks us with the brutality of Polanski, all the while inspiring with his closely observed study of selfless love.  The result is an honest depiction of personal and communal devastation that turns many unexpected corners to arrive at its surprisingly unpredictable conclusion.

See this film if you liked 127 Hours and Schindler's List, or if you attend funerals for fun.