Cinema paradiso
Tom Augustine checks out what to see in February
It’s summer, and what better way to sidestep the heat than to sit back in a cool, air-conditioned movie-house and enjoy a little bit of cinematic escapism? Aside from a few late-breaking Oscar-friendly releases, however, February can be something of a desolate environment in the multiplexes. Thankfully, some of Auckland’s best boutique, independent cinemas are here to save the day, with both Academy Cinemas in Auckland’s CBD and Hollywood Cinema in Avondale hosting some true classics in the coming weeks.
Academy, Auckland’s most youthful, arthouse-friendly cinema, is currently presenting the Architecture Through the Lens festival until February 26. While architecture may initially seem like a less-than-energetic theme, the festival contains plenty of surprises — built around celebrating the ways great filmmakers have fascinatingly used the spaces in front of the camera to tell a story in a way that pleases the eye, or evoke specific ideas or emotions.
The festival will be screening some classics, some obscurities and a bunch of absolute treasures that likely won’t be seen on the big screen again in New Zealand for a long while. Among these, a screening of Japanese master film-maker Yasujiro Ozu’s Tokyo Story (February 17), widely regarded as one of the greatest films ever made. Also featured is legendary Italian maestro Michelangelo Antonioni’s Red Desert (February 24), starring the luminous Monica Vitti (the last of four films Antonioni made with the actress, including L’Avventura, La Notte
and L’Eclisse).
Other greats include Andrei Tarkovsky’s dreamlike Nostalghia
(February 10, 22), Jacques Tati’s wondrous satirical opus Playtime
(February 26) and Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s German science fiction World On A Wire.
Academy is one of the few locations in Auckland celebrating truly classic, weighty, international cinema so often denied a spotlight in New Zealand, especially on a big screen — don’t miss out.
Meanwhile, over at Avondale’s Hollywood Cinema, one of the last true suburban moviehouses left in New Zealand, a major development for Kiwi cinephiles is the announcement it will be screening films on the 35mm film projection format — the only cinema currently with the capabilities to do so.
For the uninitiated, this may seem on the surface like not much of a big deal. However, the classic format (as opposed to the more common digital format used by most New Zealand cinemas) often provides a profoundly different experience, built around seeing films the way they were originally produced.
The first announced titles include David Fincher’s infamous critique of masculinity and modern-day malaise, Fight Club (February 21), Martin Scorsese’s black and white boxing masterwork (and maybe his finest film) Raging Bull (February 24) and 80s oddity Roar (February 24), a G-rated safari film that promises to be ”one of the most insane movies you’ll ever see”. In a digitised world, the aesthetic pleasures of the film format are a rare and lovely treat, and the Hollywood’s promise of more to come is exciting.
Take the chance to watch inspiring, thoughtprovoking, truly classic film this summer.