Welcome to the new profile
We're still working on updating some profile features. To see the badges, ratings breakdowns, and polls for this profile, please go to the previous version.
Reviews3
studio-163-123247's rating
It is fair to say 'Sione's Wedding' was a highly entertaining film which was well shot, acted, written and delivered. It may seem odd to say, but the great quality of the first Sione's weighs uncomfortably on the higher budget sequel.
'Sione's 2: Unfinished Business' is an incredibly well done film, again exceptionally written by Oscar Kightley and James Griffin and featuring some of New Zealand's greatest talents such as the beautiful Madeleine Sami, Teuila Blakely and Robbie Magasiva. The production values are high, each shot wonderfully crafted and shot with amazing quality while the sound is clear and fluent. The music is also pleasant and well fitted, the only problem is this film is the sequel to the first. The great thing about the first film is that it was so well written, the audience entered these characters lives, each character was so far developed - they were believable and relatable. 'Sione's 2' manages to stay constant to the first film with the four lead characters, but every other character was simply a characterture of their past self. The development process was so focused on the lead roles, the minor roles such as Sione, Bolo, Tania and Leilani were all left to stay out of the spotlight and become hard to understand and relate. The central story of the first film focused on Sione's dedication to his wife, yet for no reason the character of Sione has a major personality change and the second film stems from this, as though he was always this characterised. However as mentioned, Albert, Michael, Sefa and Stanley all remain well written, constant and most importantly; real. The writers haven't gone all wrong though on the minor characters, the hilarious Derek stands out, brilliantly acted by David Van Horn.
All in all, the only problem I have with this film is its at times faceless direction and most importantly the fact it is the sequel to 'Sione's Wedding'. If this film was a standalone, I'm sure I would have enjoyed it a far load more, not being preoccupied trying to decipher what the feeling I was getting throughout the whole film. Though not as good as the original, this film is still hugely enjoyable and a must for all Kiwi cinema goers.
'Sione's 2: Unfinished Business' is an incredibly well done film, again exceptionally written by Oscar Kightley and James Griffin and featuring some of New Zealand's greatest talents such as the beautiful Madeleine Sami, Teuila Blakely and Robbie Magasiva. The production values are high, each shot wonderfully crafted and shot with amazing quality while the sound is clear and fluent. The music is also pleasant and well fitted, the only problem is this film is the sequel to the first. The great thing about the first film is that it was so well written, the audience entered these characters lives, each character was so far developed - they were believable and relatable. 'Sione's 2' manages to stay constant to the first film with the four lead characters, but every other character was simply a characterture of their past self. The development process was so focused on the lead roles, the minor roles such as Sione, Bolo, Tania and Leilani were all left to stay out of the spotlight and become hard to understand and relate. The central story of the first film focused on Sione's dedication to his wife, yet for no reason the character of Sione has a major personality change and the second film stems from this, as though he was always this characterised. However as mentioned, Albert, Michael, Sefa and Stanley all remain well written, constant and most importantly; real. The writers haven't gone all wrong though on the minor characters, the hilarious Derek stands out, brilliantly acted by David Van Horn.
All in all, the only problem I have with this film is its at times faceless direction and most importantly the fact it is the sequel to 'Sione's Wedding'. If this film was a standalone, I'm sure I would have enjoyed it a far load more, not being preoccupied trying to decipher what the feeling I was getting throughout the whole film. Though not as good as the original, this film is still hugely enjoyable and a must for all Kiwi cinema goers.
Having been promised a movie like 'The Fugitive' on the DVD cover, I was not disappointed with this low budget action thriller set in early 20th century New Zealand. The film was a sequence by sequence, parallel to the vastly superior Fugitive, yet still kept me entertained. The film even has a replica fugitive jumping vast distance into the water, not pulling the impact of the fugitive, but still extremely entertaining to see Dr. Hone Ropata stick out his tongue as he falls.
The acting in the film is generally very good. Ray Winstone pulls a great South African accent, occasionally a little rough to understand but constantly a believable and understandable effort. Gareth Reeves also stands out as an exceptional English soldier, standing up amongst the great of Winstone and cementing his nature of a chameleon actor. Mark Mitchinson also stands out as truly despicable villain, a archetypical antagonist, who unfortunately does not give a satisfying conclusion to his arc in the story. The only lowlight in this stellar cast is unfortunately, the usually very talented Temuera Morrison. His lackluster performance is way behind his past standouts as Hone Ropata, Jake the Muss and Jango Fett, making his apparently intimidating character seem vastly inferior and weak standing next to the wonderful Winstone. When emotional scenes are called upon, Morrison seems to shout in a grisly voice, instead of actually acting and it is hard to sympathize for the character without feelings of melodrama seeping in, with only the well written script being an indication of how the viewer should feel.
The film is superbly directed, with every establishing shot a wonderfully beautiful shot of New Zealand landscapes, putting across the setting and giving viewers an idea of the characters anguish and backstory. At times the audio is hard to understand but generally the film is well edited and enjoyable to view. The direction is great and the film, though nothing compared to the Fugitive, is a enjoyable watch.
The acting in the film is generally very good. Ray Winstone pulls a great South African accent, occasionally a little rough to understand but constantly a believable and understandable effort. Gareth Reeves also stands out as an exceptional English soldier, standing up amongst the great of Winstone and cementing his nature of a chameleon actor. Mark Mitchinson also stands out as truly despicable villain, a archetypical antagonist, who unfortunately does not give a satisfying conclusion to his arc in the story. The only lowlight in this stellar cast is unfortunately, the usually very talented Temuera Morrison. His lackluster performance is way behind his past standouts as Hone Ropata, Jake the Muss and Jango Fett, making his apparently intimidating character seem vastly inferior and weak standing next to the wonderful Winstone. When emotional scenes are called upon, Morrison seems to shout in a grisly voice, instead of actually acting and it is hard to sympathize for the character without feelings of melodrama seeping in, with only the well written script being an indication of how the viewer should feel.
The film is superbly directed, with every establishing shot a wonderfully beautiful shot of New Zealand landscapes, putting across the setting and giving viewers an idea of the characters anguish and backstory. At times the audio is hard to understand but generally the film is well edited and enjoyable to view. The direction is great and the film, though nothing compared to the Fugitive, is a enjoyable watch.
This refreshing new comedy is superbly developed and written, with the expertise of Rachel Lang appearing as good as that of Richard Curtis or Justin Theroux. The cast consists of incredibly believable characters and true chemistry. Shane Cortese is a definite stand out, with his character incredibly likable and vastly different than the roles he has played in Shortland Street and Outrageous Fortune.
The rest of the cast, both starring and recurring are also very good, with the characters strong and well developed enough for the audience to understand and follow the story lines. The show overall is a definite winner and I hope to see it return for season two.
The rest of the cast, both starring and recurring are also very good, with the characters strong and well developed enough for the audience to understand and follow the story lines. The show overall is a definite winner and I hope to see it return for season two.