Final Wellington Film Society Update for the Year.

Thanks to David Lindsay, WFS President, for sending these notices throughout the year.

Poster Sale

How many times, when you have been to the Wellington Film Festival, have you wished you could have one of the posters that were on display in the foyers - even some of those that were mounted on card. Well here's your chance: Saturday November 26 at the Paramount from 10.00am to 1.00pm. There will a variety of posters from over the years, including large 4 sheet ones and mounted posters. Anything special or rare will be individually priced, otherwise most posters will be at a standard reasonabe price.

A taste of what is on offer - The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and her Lover, Dreams (Kurosawa), The Dead (Huston), Liquid Sky, Once Upon A Time in America, Various Rohmer films, Walkabout, Land of the Dead, a weird Czech version of Thoroughly Modern Millie. Of the mounted ones: Big Night, Celluloid Closet, some Takeshi Kitano films, The Kingdom, Music of Chance, Naked, Milou in May, Zero Kelvin. Plus heaps more. Roll up and check it out. There will be flyers about the sale at our screening on Monday night.

We are now down to the last two films in our German season made available to the Wellington Film Society by The Goethe-Institut. The screenings are free to members, with the public admitted by way of donation at the door - paper (or quiet) money please. If you haven't already, make sure you pick up a copy of the Goethe Institut publication on the producer Artur Brauner which is available free (while stock lasts).

Istvan Szabo is the director of HANUSSEN, which was nominated in the Best Foreign-Languge Film category for both the Golden Globe Awards and the Academy Awards in 1988. It screens on Monday 21 November at 6.15pm. Together with Mephisto (1981) and Colonel Redl (1984) it is the third part of Szabo's 'wartime trilogy' - all starring Klaus Maria Brandauer with cinematography by Lajos Koltai. While recuperating in a military hospital, Karl Schroeder comes under the influence of a Jewish psychologist who guides him through the subtle art of hypnotism. He also learns how to market his bizarre gifts with a new name and image. Reinvented as suave turbaned mystic Erik Jan Hanussen he quickly moves into influential circles and captures the attention of Hitler when he declares that the country is on the threshold of a new era: of order, and the triumph of the will. But he makes a fatal mistake when he predicts the burning of the German Reichstag...

The final film in the season on Monday 28 November is THE ROSE GARDEN (1990), directed by Fons Rademakers. Once again Brauner places his confidence in big-name stars such as Liv Ullmann, Maximilian Schell and Peter Fonda. Schell, otherwise an eloquent actor, convincingly makes the stammering and speechlessness of a traumatised survivor a part of himself. The central story, based on historical fact, deals with the hanging of 20 Jewish children in a school in Hamburg a few days before the end of the war. The former concentration camp commander who was responsible was living unbothered by the authorities when the film was being made. The film makes questions about the administration of justice and what is justice and injustice its main theme.

That ends our official season for the year - but don't overlook our special screening at the beginning of next month.

As part of the Northern Wellington Festival, our silent-film pianist, David Beatie will be accompanying BROKEN BLOSSOMS at the Khandallah Town Hall in Ganges Road on Saturday 3 December at 8.00pm. Entry will be by way of donation/koha.

Next year is the 60th Anniversary of the founding of the Wellington Film Society - and the film society movement in New Zealand. We are considering having some kind of function to mark the occasion - perhaps in conjunction with the AGM on 13 March.

The programme for next year is still in its early planning stages and nothing is yet confirmed. At the moment there is a possibility of a short season of Antonioni films in 35mm prints: L'Avventura, L'Eclisse and Red Desert are hoped to be included. Also in 35mm prints a short season of Godard: Breathless, Pierre Le Fou, Every Man For Himself and Contempt. There will also be some early American classics.

Our first screening next year, depending on print availability, will be on 6 March. The acclaimed silent-film accompanist, David James will be at Napier's Art Deco Week in mid-February playing his own commissioned score to Joe May's ASPHALT (Germany 1929). He will be in Wellington on 6 March and we are currently awaiting confirmation that the restored 35mm print will be available for our Wellington performance.

If you have any suggestions for films that you would like to see included in our 2006 season, please send them to me at FilmSociety@gmail.com. I will pass them on the NZ Federation of Film Societies which negotiate for films for the whole country - no guarantees though that your suggestion will be taken up. It all depends on rights and availability - and almost everyone has different ideas on what they would like to see. There are only a certain number of films we can programme in any one year!

We expect the brochure detailing our 2006 season will be mailed out in Mid-February. But keep an eye on our website from early in the New Year. Titles will be added as they are confirmed.

And keep supporting the Paramount by attending their regular screenings. Next up:

On 24 November, Costa Gavras' THE AX [Le Couperet] (France/Belgium/Spain 2005). Jose Garcia plays a man made redundant from a position at a paper mill. After two years searching for a job he hits on a plan to identify and eliminate his competitors. Black comedy doesn't come much blacker than this... From the Wellington Film Festival.

Links for Thursday, 24 November 2005

• Drunks on the streets of Wellington? Maybe they're just acting out Radiohead videos.
• Know your dress code for some of the bars around Wellington. (Hint: a Cher singlet, however stylish, won't go down well at Boogie Wonderland.) UDPATE: WellUrban has cast his discerning statistical eye over the dress codes of the various establishments mentioned, and come up with a superb graph that visually demonstrates a strong correlation between a bar's Sartorial Nazism and its (increased, it would seem) likelihood of being Totally Shite (and vice versa).
  
• These guys are sampling as many Courtenay Place eating haunts as possible over the month. Reviews aren't quite as detailed as the (defunct?) Eat Well(ington). In fact, does "Chicago, pretty lame really" count as a review at all?
• WellUrban's 'Shops we love' series continues: this week - Beckon.
  

Lachii @ Paramount: 27 November

One for all you film and music enthusiasts out there (and more especially if you're both): Lachii - the single-shot film by Ed Davis with accompanying live music by HDU's Tristan Dingemans (aka Kahu) - is having a public screening at the Paramount this Sunday night (November 27) at 9:30pm ($15/$10).

From the blurb...

Lachii is an hour-long continuous shot that follows a small boy as he goes on a bit of an adventure round a small farmlet next to the Porirua Stream. The creek is littered with half-buried treasures/domestic junk/heirlooms of industry. Lachii's is a timeless journey - in the same way that kids lose track of time when their imagination is truly engaged in something - building a dam - climbing a tree - playing "poison grass" - flicking bug-shells off a fence post... Filmed on the site of a derelict flourmill just off Willowbank Road, Tawa.

The screening of Lachii is accompanied by a live soundtrack performed by KAHU, alone with guitar and fx pedals. Tristan manages to create huge sweeping orchestral movements as a solo act - using layers of delay and and an e-bow - which he then introduces distant melodies and cataclysmic sweeping hurricanoes. It's amazing music to hear live - filling the entire space as if in a church - and then dropping back to hear all the distant subtle details that linger - a perfect soundtrack to Lachii's intrepid journey in the creek.

Checkmate

A recently received email from one of the better chess players in the region:

This evening (22 November) starting at 6pm in the Central Library there will be a public spectacle. 30 of the strongest Chess players in the Wellington region face simultaneous execution at the hands of former World Championship Candidate, Nigel Short. This is an open invitation to attend this public display of our humiliation to anyone interested. No cost for admission and as I understand it the Mayor will be there along with TV1 News.

Nigel Short has recently been the subject of a column over at the Guardian, where a keen amateur has been getting lessons from England's finest grandmaster. Needless to say that, despite the improvements in play the student made, he still got beaten in every game. Can't see things going too differently tonight, but, you never know...

Wellington Music Week: 21-27 November

Wellington Music Week gets under way next Monday (21 Nov), with a raft of seminars, gigs and events over the course of the week.

If you're looking for one good big night out, then the Showcase gig on Thursday (24 Nov) looks the go, with OdESSA, Charlie Ash, Autumn Stone, Zirkus, Mon Ami and the Henderson Experience lining up for a night of rock action down at Bodega.

Head over to the official site for full programme details.

Oohhh, and there's also the SJD/Phoenix Foundation show down at the Opera House on Saturday night, which should be fantastic. Tickets are getting close to sold out for this one, so get in quick at, urgh, Ticketek.

Vote for US!!

Click on the link here, and vote for Wellingtonista.blogspot.com. for Best Lifestyle Site!

Links for Wednesday, 16 November 2005

• New Mystery Bar action over at Well Urban
• Is watching Parliament in action the new blogging spectator sport? Stanley Climbfall (via Gman inc.), Michael of Michael's World and David Farrar have been watching the opening exchanges of the new Parliamentary session.
• The 2005 Chapman Tripp Theatre Award nominees have been announced. Good to see the plays Bats put on for its Stab season - Demeter's Dark Ride and Head - up for some awards. The more mainstream production of The Cherry Orchard (put on at Circa) is the big potential winner on the night though, with seven nominations all up.
  
• ...and some dodgy dealings over at Council? Surely not, but everyone's favourite letter-writing councillor Jack Ruben has "...asked the Auditor General's office to investigate the process by which the Wellington City Council approved a 99-year lease for a building on site 7 at Kumutoto on the Wellington waterfront."

F69 - photos galore

There's some great snaps of the F69 scuttling over in The Sinking of the Wellington flickr photo pool, like this one from Pieter Pieterse.

Thankfully this particular Wellingtonista lives just around the corner from the Bay, so didn't have to brave the heavy traffic and sometimes incomprehensively inconsiderate parking of the many people who had made their way to the Southern Coast to witness the event. To whoever parked their car right on the corner of the blind turn that connects Moselle to Severn Streets, we salute you - the only way you could have made the situation more dangerous was to perhaps pour some oil onto the road.

Still, the crowd was enthused and well behaved, even as the scheduled time ticked past, and the tension started to mount. And then, a flare, and a second, a cannon shot from the shore, and then BOOM! and down she went.

First Pohutukawa Flowers of 2005

As spotted on the 12th of November in the grounds of the St Hilda's Anglican Church, on the corner of The Parade and Humber Streets in Island Bay.

Any claims from anyone on an early flowering?

F69 sinking postponed all go!

It's all on. The wind speeds given in the marine forecast are still vaguely border-line, but it's nice and sunny, and the swell isn't too big, so, why not?

Indeed - too windy, so postponed until tomorrow: 3pm, Sunday 13th November.

Check the official site for details.

F69 scheduled to go down this weekend

Yes indeed, unless the wind gets up too much, this Saturday (12 Nov) at 3pm, the ex-Frigate F69-Wellington is going to be scuttled off the south coast, between Island and Houghton Bays (just to the East of Tapu Teranga - the island of Island Bay).

There's probably going to be a heap of people going down to watch the event, so take heed of the official advice regarding transport...

Motorists are urged to park their vehicles away from the coastal road and take a bus to Houghton Bay. Houghton Bay School is providing a limited amount of parking in their grounds and at Houghton Bay Park as a fundraiser for their new hall.

The Island Bay launching area and car park will be reserved for police and officials and closed to the public from 6am to 6pm on the day of the sinking. South Coast boat ramps are likely to be extremely busy and spectators should consider using other ramps.

Motorists are being warned to watch for pedestrians between Princess Bay and Island Bay, park legally and keep off footpaths and areas of vegetation.

No road closures are planned, but the Council will put up signs to warn residents to expect traffic delays.

For those of you heading out in a boat, there's a few more things you should be aware of - head over to the official site to find out just where the best place to view from the water will be.

UPDATE: Well, it's looking a bit iffy. The MetService Inshore Wellington Marine forecast (which I should have linked to in the first place, as Tom over at WellUrban rightfully points out) has this to say about Saturday...

Northerly 25 knots gusting 35 knots, easing to 10 knots in the evening. Rough sea easing to slight in the evening. Mostly cloudy with brief light rain in the afternoon.

If it's Northerly, it needs to get below 20 knots for the whole shebang to happen. Fingers crossed.

Of Importance to the Paramount?

I just wanted to mangle that last title sorry.

but if Playstation 3 comes with a free popcorn maker, I'll wager that it's all over....

...The cinema industry has been whinging at the downturn in cinema ticket sales for the last few years, and the advent of High Definition TV & DVD isn't going to help them.

Except, much like the VHS vs Beta wars of the 80s, a battle was looming between the two big HD formats, Toshiba's HD-DVD, and Sony's Blu-Ray.

According to James Berardinelli, who has the most impressive movie review site on the web (his latest book of reviews is out in the bookstores in time for Christmas too), that battle is over, pretty much before it even started. All thanks to Playstation 3.

James Berardinelli's ReelViews - Last Gasps, or the Format War that Wasn't

Links for Wednesday, 9 November 2005

• Pretty pictures of the weekend's fireworks over at Flickr: Patrick's Soapbox, Whispering Inferno, and Brainsluice.
• More mystery bar action at WellUrban and Drinks After Work.
• Outgoing VUWSA members set up their own blog to critique the incoming VUWSA exec, Salient, and local student politics in general. As they state...

  This is our space not to let go, to be bitter, and resentful, and, perhaps most importantly, offer advice to those who have filled our shoes. But mostly to be bitter.

  So, check out the VUWSA Has-Beens' Bench.
• Wellington's favourite film-maker son Peter Jackson has had his debut film - Bad Taste - named as 11th Greatest Independent Film of all time by Empire Magazine.
  
• And is this summer shaping up to be nice, or what? (No link, just an observation).
  

The Coastal Highway and Transmission Gully

The Wellingtonistas received this email yesterday & given the importance of safe & efficent transport routes in & out of the region, we think it's a good idea to pass it on to our readers to consider, and even make a submission if you so desire.

The Coastal Highway and Transmission Gully

Dear Wellingtonistas

The Greater Wellington Regional Council is currently consulting on the Coastal Highway Northern access route. This consultation is part of the formal process to decide on future Northern road access for the region.

The choice between the Coastal Highway and Transmission Gully roads is one of the biggest road decisions facing motorists in the Wellington region and will affect access into and out of Wellington for decades to come. The AA (Wellington District) believes it is important that you, Wellington AA Members, are given the opportunity to have your say.

You can make a submission on the Western Corridor Plan by clicking here. This will take you directly to the submission form on the Greater Wellington Regional Council website.

There is no wrong way to make a submission, you can just say what you think.

Submissions close at 5:00pm on Friday 4 November 2005.

What the AA thinks:

The AA Wellington District Council will be making a submission in support of the Transmission Gully road. This submission will be available for viewing on the AA website from 4 November 2005. We set out our reasoning below.

We have been working closely on behalf of Members with the relevant decision makers to promote and support a positive decision to build Transmission Gully. It has not always been easy. Initially costs for all options were beyond the resources available to the region. The Government then made extra funds available, for improved Northern access but these were only enough for the Coastal Highway option, and not for Transmission Gully.

The Finance Minister recently signalled his support for a staged approach for the development of the Transmission Gully road with the Northern section through to Pauahatanui being constructed as phase 1. We had been advocating for this option to be considered for some time as an affordable first stage solution for the region.

The chart below compares the two roads. This is not a full comparison of the two roads options but highlights some of the differences we believe are of interest to motorists.

Click here to view the chart.

*Costs quoted are the preliminary costs from the Transit New Zealand consultation document.

Thank you for your time, please feel free to forward this email to interested friends and family.
Yours sincerely

John Christianson

District Chairman
WELLINGTON DISTRICT COUNCIL
The New Zealand Automobile
Association Incorporated