And a little extra More pics from yesterdays visit to the Roxy in Mirimar

Just some more pictures taken yesterday at the Roxy with one older picture of the Roxy for a comparison to the Lego Sculpture in my last post.

2014 Happy New Year and a Day at the Roxy

Well currently I'm enjoying a well earned break and one that has recharged my desire to see some new releases where they deserve to be seen on the Big Screen.  From the very start of my blogs, I had expressed my desire to visit the Roxy, to savour the atmosphere and hell even have a meal at Coco's. So as I'm officially on leave for a week my wife and I decided to leave the snug confines of Porirua and experience the Hobbit Desolation of Smaug at the Roxy. A cinema that has though retaining the original Mirimar cinema's façade has been rebuilt to the latest safety standards incorporating an Art Deco look but with filled with Weta magic from the Gollum's statue greeting you before you ascend the stairs.

Below are photo's taken yesterday, a marvellous Lego reconstruction of the Roxy. The old style Cinema 1, it was here we watched the second part of the Hobbit but not until we had experienced the sheer magic of Coco's restaurant. The food and service was fantastic and this is definitely the place movie magic. The detailing and consistency of design shout out quality.

So recharged, on Holiday and raring to go so far this year I have experienced The Hobbit Desolation of Smaug, which is critic proof I have now seen it standard 3D and HFR 3D and the latter wins hands down. The film felt a lot better the second time around and though a tad too long is still a satisfying experience that leaves you thirsty for more.

Frozen marked my first film of 2014 and I found it to be pure Disney magic , a worthy addition to the Pantheon of Disney movies that confidently embraces Old and New Disney. I loved it, the songs were perfection the characters engaging and the pace perfect for both Adults and children.

After my disappointment with last years movies this year kicked off brilliantly and my next visit I hope to be the Wolf of Wall Street. So Happy New Year long may it continue.

The Hobbit Wellington Premiere

Well a great time was had by all, and as promised here are few pictures from the Wellington Premiere. It was a blazing hot Wednesday afternoon and there was a lot to see, and the air was buzzing with excitement  I've posted some of the clearer pictures I took , a lot of them involved avoiding heads, and other photographers didn't come out so great.

It was a long wait, the cavalcade of stars not arriving until about 4.30 pm at which time I had been waiting for two hours and was about ready to drop. But we were all in good spirits even if some of us were moaning about not getting a Gandalf style promotional Hobbit hat.  I had bought a Hobbit premiere t-shirt so looked the part, but as you will see from my pictures there were a lot of cosplay characters dotted around. I counted quite a few Hobbit s, 1 Gandalf and one Wring Wraith. Fortunately there were no Gollums present.

The lull before the Storm, Skyfall, Hobbits and Blu rays

Well things have been sort of quiet, most of the movies recently released in NZ have held very little appeal to me. Its sort of like having gorged myself and over indulged over the last three months of blockbuster season and having a mild case of cinematic indigestion.
I guess with the likes of the Avengers I had been spoiled. But recently I managed to catch and enjoy Karl Urban as the Icon Judge Dredd in Dredd.  A great adaptation of one of my favourite 2000AD characters that had the bad luck of having an almost identical plot to the Brilliant Raid. This film buried the memories of Stallone s take of the character and the film gets a lot more right than it gets wrong. A pity that financially it didn't break the US market. I sort of feel sick for making that comment. There seems to be something perverse about judging a films success based on its ability to make moolar at the US box office. It seems almost like I should be on the Deadline website passing judgement based on stats and box office breakdowns.


     Madagascar 3 was a bright, brilliant hilarious improvement on its two predecessors'  my son loved it and despite my lukewarm appreciation of parts 1 and 2 this for me delivered the goods and put a great big perma smile on my face.
     Frankenweenie  however was a disappointment  I appreciated it, but I didn't love it. It was retro Burton, well it is a remake of his live action Disney original.  Burton has a unique style maybe its time that tonally he revamped it and explored new visual stylings.

    Blu rays have been my viewing method of choice, with the Jaws release providing the most pleasure along with the comprehensive Prometheous blu ray. The film still doesn't work for me but Ridley Scott still delivers a great sci fi experience even when not firing at full capacity. The transfers are just breath taking and reinforce exactly why Blur ray is  the true cinephiles format of choice.

But Skyfall is a week away, and I have booked the afternoon off for the Hobbit premiere which is on the 28th November  and over the next week or so I will be roaming with my camera in the hope that I can get some great piccies to share on this blog. To give those of you who can't make it down here some sense of the occasion. Also I might publish some proper Blu ray reviews and share some of my collection. So hopefully things will pick up again as more exciting films head this way.
Catch you on my next post.

Hobbit a week goes by.

Well just a quick little post, the Hobbit machinery is starting to kick into gear and film ties are starting to appear. The Hobbit Almanac being the first I've seen out there in bookshops along with the book with the cover being the film poster image of Bilbo. But messing around on my IPAD this afternoon, I came across the Hobbit App on Itunes and for fans out there who need a pre film fix its not a bad little primer. I suspect there will be a few updates prior to the films December release and that this is an evolving little program but try it out. There are links to it on the official Hobbit Facebook page.
     Also in following the local Wellywood scene via news and social media there is a brilliant blog by Nolder. Seek him out, as his posts are always informative and interesting. In fact this week after one of the Guardians writers did a hack job on Peter Jackson questioning his film making talents Nolder had the opportunity to defend Jackson via a local radio item.
   Seek his blog out if and One Ring Net is a good place to start if you haven't visited their site already.
   

Bond is back

Yes the news is good today, Bond 23 is go and will be returning in 2012. Sam Mendes will be directing and Daniel Craig will be returning. Hopefully this will be a return to form as set by Casino Royale and a more satisfying installment than Quantum of Solace. Hopefully the MGM hiatus will have allowed for much tighter script work being done in the background.
Its been a good week for the movies what with the Hobbit back on track and news of the Planet of the Apes Rising movie hitting the web with pictures of Mr Serkis is mo cap gear amok on the streets of San Francisco. I am one happy geek.

My favourite Wellington cinema

Since moving to Wellington back in 2006 to marry my Kiwi partner I have been spoilt by the abundance of wonderful cinema's in the area. This is a city where suburban cinemas have survived by showing a healthy mix of art house and popular fair.
My favorite cinema is the Embassy which was refurbished in time for the Lord of the Rings Premiere. Its interior is a joy to behold and its seats luxurious.

Opposite the cinema is a WETA designed statue that is striking and befitting its location with the Paramount and Reading cinemas literally just a short walk from its location.

Stone St Studios and Mirimar and New cinema development

Yesterday being a bank holiday I decided to take a drive with the family to Mirimar, the home of Weta and Stone St Studio. The main reason for our visit being the Chocolate Frog cafe where I had an excellent cooked breakfast and fantastic black pudding. Here are a few snaps taken on the day.

Being a bank holiday all was relatively quiet. Soon the Hobbit will be full ahead and saw a brief glimpse of a wooden set near to the mocap stage but nothing you could connect to that film. But soon this will be a hive of major activity.