The Lumière Reader » Film

The Film Reader is the cinephile arm of The Lumière Reader. It publishes related news and editorials; features, interviews and essays; film and DVD reviews; film festival coverage; and an ongoing series of columns with a preference towards the marginal and underseen. [About Us]

Auckland and Wellington Festivals have now concluded. Lumière's NZIFF coverage continues through August.; Browse NZIFF Coverage; NZIFF Dates:; » Hamilton, August 14-31; » Napier, August 20-Sept 7; » Tauranga, August 28-Sept 10; » New Plymouth, Sept 4-17
Ben Russell on We Can Not Exist in This World Alone: Interviews and editorial from the NZ International Film Festivals:; » Adam Wingard on Pop Skull; » Yung Chang on Up the Yangtze; » Benjamin Gilmour on Son of a Lion; » Kathy Dudding on The Return; » Gregory King on A Song of Good; » NZIFF '08 Dispatch #2: Priming the Melbourne International Film Festival; » NZIFF '08 Dispatch #1: Auckland, and onwards; » New Directions: the New Zealand International Film Festivals 2008; Head-to-Head—dueling perspectives on festival films:; » Water Lilies: David Levinson / Brannavan Gnanalingam; » The Hollow Men: Nina Fowler / Danyl McLauchlan; » Hunger: David Levinson / Brannavan Gnanalingam; » Bigger, Stronger, Faster*: Tim Wong / Caleb Starrenburg; Guide to NZIFF reviews:

Flight of the Red Balloon: Hou Hsiao-hsien captures Juliette Binoche and Paris at their best. "A masterpiece by one of cinema's great filmmakers... the intricate rhythms of daily life captured in a way that leaves you speechless."—Brannavan Gnanalingam

A Gentle Breeze in the Village: "A rich and infectiously charming celebration of youth... Simply put... a joy to watch."—Caleb Starrenburg

In the City of Sylvia: "Guerin's camera remains a vital commentator, from the way it lingers poignantly in suppressed alleyways... to its uncanny ability to record the most delicate of impressions"—David Levinson

La France: Trench warfare, androgyny, and twee musical numbers. "A strange delicacy among war movies."—Tim Wong

Let the Right One In: "Could this be the best vampire movie since Near Dark or Herzog's remake of the classic Noseferatu?"—Jacob Powell

My Winnipeg: Guy Maddin's unauthorized history of 'The Peg'. "Hilarious... an outrageous documentary tease, the Canadian's most hysterical film to date."—Tim Wong

Night and Day: Hong Song-soo's latest man-flick. "A sharp, hilarious take on relationships and loneliness... that is much more complex than it looks."—Brannavan Gnanalingam

To Each His Own Cinema: 36 auteurs on cinema. "You'll come away from the experience feeling invigorated about movie going."—Jacob Powell

Up the Yangtze: "Chang's personal investment with his subjects pays an emotional mother-lode. Honouring him with their trust, one could sometimes mistake this documentary for a cinematic drama with performances worthy of an Oscar."—Roseanne Liang

Waltz with Bashir: "The end... leaves no doubt as to what Folman's intention is in making the film. His restored memory detonates something universal. It is devastating to experience."—Catherine Bisley

The Edge of Heaven: Raw and urgent as a bullet to the jugular. Head-On's Fatih Akin plumbs Turkish-German family, politics, faith and love with uncompromising, edgy intensity. In striking contrast to Acid Reflux, aka Ashes of Time Redux, it does much more than look pretty.—Alexander Bisley

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