After two weeks of screenings not just across Aotearoa but up to Samoa and Fiji, Miki Magasiva’s feature debut is rolling into cinemas across the motu. Make haste to your nearest cinemas to sign up for the sensational shared experience of seeing Tinā in a packed theatre.
I had the absolute pleasure of hosting two screening Q&A’s in Auckland with Miki and the most excellent Beulah Keole (these two crack-ups :)) and together they had so much insight into the film-making process and what it took to bring Tinā to the big screen. I’m once again reminded of the sacrifices, the commitment, the passion, the mana it takes for our local storytellers to live their dream and share their stories - and how important those stories are.
AWARDS SEASON MADNESS
We are also finally at the business end of Awards Season - THE 97TH ACADEMY AWARDS - what a freaking RIDE it’s been! The awards campaigning is done and dusted, the votes have been cast and Conan the O’Brien is rehearsing his first ever Oscars monologue as he prepares to walk the hosting duties high-wire. Having achieved the Hollywood career highlight of guesting on Shortland Street I’m guessing the Oscars will be a breeze ;) Watch the awards this year streaming on Disney+ from 1230 this Monday and if you’re a sucker for punishment you can double-screen as I bang out all my reckons on RNZ.CO.NZ with live updates and wayward commentary on the red carpet and the awards as they go down in real time. What fun!
The Oscars office sweepstakes are gonna be fun this year - who and what to pick??! Timmy or Brody? yay DEMI! Anora or The Brutalist or will Conclave make a sudden dash for the checkered flag? The cool cats at Letterboxd and also Flicks have kindly provided us with their own flash-as Oscar Ballots so in ya jump.
VALE, GENE HACKMAN
Hollywood lost a great this week and in incredibly unusual circumstances. 95 year old Gene Hackman was found dead in his Santa Fe home, his wife Betsy Arakawa also dead in another room. Here’s the latest on the police investigation from The LA Times as the story unfolds but it is certainly a curious one.
Actual screen legend, Hackman has gifted us all a legacy of Oscar-winning performances and films over more the six decades and how lucky are we. I remember sitting stunned in the cinema as the final credits rolled on Mississippi Burning, and alongside with The French Connection, The Conversation and Unforgiven we’re reminded he really was a titan of the big screen.
NOW, ONWARDS! LET’S CHAT TINĀ!
NEW RELEASE
TINĀ
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
I’ve been banging on about Tinā ever since her extraordinary Civic premiere and after watching another two packed cinemas fully embrace this film, I am reminded that it doesn’t take a perfect film to deliver the perfect film experience—and that’s exactly what this film does.
Anapela Polataivao is Mareta Percival—Tinā ("Mother” in Samoan)—a grieving, disillusioned teacher who takes a substitute role at a rich private school to pay her rent. When she starts a choir, it majorly annoys the racist douche-canoe Deputy Principal—not to mention her bestie Rona (played by the particularly excellent Nicole Whippy). The situation worsens when Ms. Percival enters The Big Sing, the biggest school choir competition in the country.
Several key players drive the choir and the story forward, led by the talented but troubled young teen Sophie (Antonia Robinson, in a breakout big-screen debut). Her relationship with Tinā—two souls reflecting each other’s pain—is beautiful to watch.
What really hit home for me is the way Miki’s story handles the human experience of grief in all its trauma, distress, sorrow, and love. We, the audience, bring our own life experiences and scar tissue into the cinema, and being gifted the opportunity to not just feel those emotions but maybe share and even release them? What a gift.
There are a few broad strokes here and a missed beat or two for me, and the premise isn’t a fresh one—but the way it connects with our emotions will have audiences all singing from the same song sheet. And that feeling is why we all go to the movies. I loved it.
THE FEELS:
This is one of those films where the feels are EVERYTHING. Laugh Laugh Cry pretty much sums it up, and when you experience all those emotions in a cinema full of strangers, it reminds us of the things that connect us. And we need that feeling more than anything right now.
THE HOOK:
The singing, obviously—what a glorious highlight in surround sound! And the Samoan humour. But for me, the true standout was witnessing Anapela Polataivao’s long-awaited first lead role after a lifelong career supporting other Kiwi and Pasifika creatives on and off the stage and screen. BRILLIANT.
MY LUDICROUSLY CAPACIOUS BAG OF BINGE-A-BILITY 🎒
PARADISE Disney+
O.M.G. are you watching this show?? The penultimate Ep 7 of 8 was honestly one of the most stressful (in a good way!) hours of telly I’ve ever watched - Stirling K Brown is THE MAN (and the best cryer in the biz) and the reveals on this show have been outstanding. The finale is this Tuesday and S2 has been greenlit - play catch up if you can!!
The Pitt NeonNZ
93% and counting on Rotten Tomatoes with ER alum Noah Wyle back in scrubs (this is “24 meets ER”) with each EP another hour in the emergency room. I’ve only had time for EP1 and I am sooooo in. Will dive back in here once I’m more fully immersed but welcome your thoughts!
GUEST STARRING…
She’s here, she’s there, she’s every f**king where KATE RODGER!
As mentioned above, I was back TVNZ Breakfast this week for my fortnightly ramblings—watch if you dare! And a reminder that I’ll be anchoring Oscars Central at RNZ on Monday, bringing you live updates as they roll out.
Farewell for now FilmFam and leaving you with a wonderful quote from Gene Hackman:
“I was trained to be an actor, not a star”
Vale Gene.
KRxx
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