The Geoff Murphy retrospective at Ngā
Taonga Sight & Vision (the film archive) in Wellington has begun
and runs until 30 November.
It
begins with Never Say Die (1988). A young couple are mysteriously
pursued by people with increasingly elaborate attempts to kill them;
they narrowly escape death repeatedly. A sexy, fun and totally
incoherent thriller full of car chases and shoot-outs; with a plot
that barely manages to justify the set pieces and certainly doesn't
do anything else. A Lethal Weapon-style '80s Hitchcock leaning
precariously towards a Buster Keaton routine. Ultimately trash, but
light and effortless, with sexy and engaging star performances from
Temuera Morrison and Lisa Eilbacher. If the film has any meaning
perhaps it can be contained in the opening narration in which Tem's
character complains about the narrow-minded Kiwi mentality, as long
as you know that this film, so obviously a plea for attention from
Hollywood, was Murphy's last film in New Zealand before his long
journey in America as a director for hire.
1 comment:
Niice blog you have
Post a Comment