C'è ancora domani (that's Italian)

What I'm watching, what I'm thinking, what I'm feeling.

Dec 05, 2024

I speak Italian now. What? Nah just kidding I sound like a complete tosser. HOWEVER - I am an ENORME fan of Italian cinema and this week what a treat there is in store at your local cinema - a 5 Star bolter of a film which you simply MUST see called There’s Still Tomorrow.

It’s weirdly also been back-to-back screenings of musicals for me - 4 of them in fact - and while Wicked and Moana 2 are the kind of summer musicals you expect (and the summer box office simply ADORES) I also got early sneak screenings for two others, both which flip the whole concept of what a cinematic musical can be on its head: Emilia Pérez is a drug cartel trans-rights thriller (OMG INCREDIBLE) and Better Man is Robbie Williams telling his story through his back catalogue but as a Wētā FX-generated chimpanzee? (oh YES). More on both those films closer to release.

Anyway, how the hell are you all? For the record I am bloody loving writing this Substack! I can confirm a big uptick in my general happiness so selfishly thanks for subscribing to this - sitting down and banging away on my ageing laptop about all the cool stuff I’ve been burying myself in is soooo good for my soul.

I’ve also been loving all the chat around whether it’s cool for school to sing along in the cinema kicked off by audiences holding space and Defying Gravity with their own voices watching/listening to Wicked . Elphaba herself says fill ya boots! but others are more like yeah/nah. Feel free to wax lyrical in The Projector Chat but I know for one that it’s VERY hard not to sing along with Robbie Williams and just try and stop me when I’m home alone watching The Greatest Showman or Lion King ;)

Righto - lets move on shall we? What’s new on release and what do we all reckon? Read on fellow-film freak read on..

GET THEE TO A CINEMA

NEW RELEASE

⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️

C'è Ancora Domani or in English There’s Still Tomorrow grossed more at the Italian box office than Barbie did last year and there is a very good reason for that - it’s SENSATIONAL.

The debut feature for Paola Cortellesi, who writes, directs and stars, she takes a story set in tumultuous post-WW2 Rome, of a mother of three in an abusive relationship, and turns it into with a kinetic, emotional, empowering cinematic war cry.

At the heart of it is a mother’s love for her children, her two young sons, and her older daughter Marcella (Romana Maggiora Vergano) who is soon to marry a local boy from a much wealthier family. And while providing for them day to day and protecting them day to day, it’s the future she’s really focussed on. And with the potent backdrop of Italian women about to get the vote, the layers of womanhood, motherhood and the sisterhood are many and deep.

If this all sounds HEAVY, it’s the delivery that elevates this into one of those unforgettable and dare I say it - entertaining - experiences. The choice of black and white, the insane soundtrack which is a fantastic fusion of the old and new, blending Italian classics with American hip hop, and above all, the slam dunk of a finale which sends you out into the world with a renewed sense of hope that we’re all maybe, just maybe, gonna be alright. Outstanding.

THE FEELS: omg soooooo many feels - I yelled and swore at the screen, I tapped my feet, plenty of lols AND of course tears, but HAPPY tears. That’s pretty much the entire gamut of human emotions yes?

THE HOOK: Conveying such a sense of love and hope and sisterhood using a light touch to deliver heavy-hitting themes without diminishing the impact - GENIUS.

NEW RELEASE

Moana 2

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2

Review-proof at the global box office breaking records all over the shop including here in Aotearoa, Moana and her menagerie including Maui are back on the big screen after initially heading for the small on and man Disney won’t be regretting that decision! Moana 2 had the biggest Thanksgiving Weekend box office in history grossing even more offshore, a helluva lot more than the original Moana which since it’s release became the most streamed movie of 2023, turning our Pacific Disney Princess into a somewhat of cultural phenomenon - CHEE HOO!

So - a couple of things; yes it’s magnificent to see Moana back in all her animated glory - and it is glorious animation. It’s also such a blimmin’ joy to hear such familiar Māori and Pasifika voices bringing these Polynesian characters to life - and even more so if you’re lucky enough and clever enough to have access to the Moana 2 Reo Māori (and with English subtitles). Welcoming back Temuera Morrison and Rachel House and adding Dave Fane, Rose Matafeo and Awhimai Fraser, it’s a South Pacific showcase of our finest talent, and while I wanted to see deeper into these new characters I still enjoyed their company.

So the kids are gonna lap it up, but I suspect won’t be singing along to these new songs as much as Lin-Manuel Miranda’s ageless classics “Your Welcome” and “How Far I’ll Go” (not to mention Jemaine’s “Shiny”). And seeing this film dominate the global box office is just bloody brilliant.

One more tip: Stay on for a mid-credit treat (it’s so SHINY)

THE FEELS: The feels felt much leaner this time around, the toe tapping desire to sing along to catchy tunes was missing and the story less purposeful

THE HOOK: Moana herself and the immersive escapism of the stunningly rendered animation which can feel more real than the actual ocean

MY LUDICROUSLY CAPACIOUS BAG OF BINGE-A-BILITY

Remember my Quick Hot Tip:- Need to know where to stream your favorites in NZ? Download the Just Watch NZ app or visit justwatch.com/nz. It’s easy and reliable.

Silo S2 - AppleTV
Rebecca Ferguson and Tim Robbins with an excellent support cast and diving into one of my favourite genres: desperate dystopian sci-fi (ha ha is that a genre? well it is now) I’ve been gagging for S2. Its more a slow burn this time around to be fair - I don’t wake up counting the minutes to the next EP, but I am still on this ride.
Landman - Prime Video NZ
Honestly does Taylor Sheridan never sleep? He writes and directs what feels like Yellowstone but with oil at stake instead of cattle. I am only two EPs in - love Billy Bob Thornton and his dry, weathered, jaded delivery of some classic scripting as lead character and oil baron hatchet man Tommy. Gorgeously shot and set up, but as Ep2 unfolds it’s clear we are dealing with the “Beth Issue”. Both Sheridan and his co-creator/writer Christian Wallace have so far painted their sparse female characters with worryingly one-dimensional and overly-sexual overtones - which is particularly icky when Tommy’s teenage daughter enters the fray. The barely PC hat tip to how wrong it is just feels so wrong. I’ll stick with it, but it rankles me. Let me know if I’m not the only one who feels that!
LIONESS S2 - Prime Video NZ
Did anyone dive into this off the back of last week’s rec? let me know .. I am still DIGGING it. And did you watch Sicario and/or Hell or High Water : two sweet picks yes??

THE WEEKLY TIPS AND DIPS INTO THE KR ARCHIVE

As for dipping into the KR Archive I got the shock of my life this week. With the shutdown of Newshub 5 months ago, suddenly, in the last week, Newshub and all our 35 years (21 in my case) of stories, interviews, live crosses, shows, our life’s work on the telly, have quite simply DISAPPEARED from the internet as if they never existed. Yes, I burst into tears, I am devastated.

There is help on it’s way though. I know there are some incredible Newshub alum lead by my cool-as mate Darryn Fouhy have been working tirelessly since the closure was announced, converting all our content for Ngā Taonga, the NZ audio visual archive. Looks like mid-year 2025 when it will all become available - for free - to us all, but until then? When it comes to the internet (and let’s face it, if it’s not online did it ever really happen ;)) it’s like Newshub never existed. waaaaaaa sad face emoji…

Anyway - I have a few things on my YouTube Channel which I am trying to find the time to populate with more content ha ha! But for this week I shall riff on the utterly charming Jon Hamm, who plays a ruthless oil baron in Landman - here’s my interview with him and Miles Teller in San Diego for Top Gun Maverick :)

GUEST STARRING…

She’s here, she’s there, she’s every f**king where KATE RODGER! (Roy Kent 4 Life).

Catch me in full film freak mode as I chew the cinematic fat on There’s Still Tomorrow as well as Moana 2 with the marvellous Jesse Mulligan on RNZ..

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