Long-distance international travellers are more dependent than ever on in-flight entertainment. Unless you can afford lie-flat sleeping, sitting upright and watching a screen is the only alternative. Reading books or newspapers are long gone, although occasionally you see Kindles or iPads. The back-of-the-seat screens offer all types of movies and TV, plus video games and … Read More about Film festival in the skies
Reviews
Star-filled cast flames out
Few filmmakers impose a visual stamp on their work ... Read More about Star-filled cast flames out
Festival spotlights ‘parcel children’
The annual festival season is under way, and that ... Read More about Festival spotlights ‘parcel children’
Epic ice journey retold
Few tales from the heroic age of Antarctic ... Read More about Epic ice journey retold
Authoritarian states have historically put a lot of effort into using movies for propaganda, sometimes with spectacular results. While the Nazis forced much of Germany’s top talent to Hollywood, much to the latter’s benefit, its studios continued to operate throughout the war. One epic about the Titanic proved to be … Read More about Where worlds collide
Movie attendances bounced back in 2022 as quantity far exceeded quality. Only 20 exceeded the $1 million mark at the box office, with reboots dominating the most popular offerings. Top Gun: Maverick was well out in front, followed by Thor: Love and Thunder, with the latest in the Dr … Read More about Looking back at the best of 2022
The superiority of what streaming services provide for home entertainment is more obvious when cinemas can only rustle up second-class fare. This has been the case for several months, thanks to Hollywood studios falling behind on their usual blockbuster attractions, known as tentpoles, and other factors that may not all … Read More about Sherlock’s detective sister
The decline of Netflix is an example of Mark Twain’s saying that rumours of his death are greatly exaggerated. A drop in global subscriptions, due to a more competitive environment, was reversed in the company’s latest report. A more interesting aspect of Netflix’s future is whether it will embrace theatrical … Read More about Legend survives fictional life
It is a conventional view of history that World War I could have been prevented and its tragic legacy avoided. Apart from history-telling, it left a large trove of literature, notably Britain’s war poets. Few parents of baby boomers would have left New Zealand high schools without being able to … Read More about War poet’s survival guilt
Between March 12 and April 6, 1930, the world’s media contained daily reports of an Indian protest march from the Sabarmati ashram to Dandi on Gujarat’s western coast. Led by Mahatma Gandhi, it became the symbolic start of anti-colonial resistance using non-violent methods. The “salt march” was one of the … Read More about Dame Whina’s long march
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