film
DANTE’S PEAK Directed by Roger Donaldson RATING: B+
is located right next to a dormant
and a female lead, one of whom is
volcano. Volcanologist Harry Dalton
a single parent. (Hmm, wonder if
(played by Pierce Brosnan) is called
they’re going to hook up and form
in to investigate some unusual
a happy new family unit?)
by ALEX CAMPBELL-HUNT
seismic activity in the area, which
However, the movie really deliv-
Was this anyone else’s favourite
everyone expects to be benign. But
ers with its special effects, suspense
movie as a kid? For me it even
of course, it isn’t as benign as they
and action, and also with its scien-
overtook Jurassic Park at one point.
think, and the volcano becomes
tific accuracy, apparently. It also
(Though it just occurred to me that
slightly less dormant during the
has some great music, and Brosnan
many of this year’s freshers weren’t
movie. Linda Hamilton also stars
and Hamilton really do a good job
born yet when it was released...
as Rachel Wando, the town’s mayor.
with their roles, creating characters
holy christ). In my flat we bought
Because this was the first disas-
a projector in lieu of a TV, so that
ter movie I ever saw, I didn’t realise
If I was grading purely on nos-
we could watch movies on an entire
at the time how riddled with clichés
talgia & epicness value, Dante’s
wall: naturally, ’90s disaster mov-
it was: there’s the hero scientist
Peak would be a solid A+. But if I’m
ies were our first port of call. Dante’s
who tries to warn everybody of the
wearing my objective movie-re-
Peak is one that holds up well,
danger, and the evil forces of eco-
viewer hat, I’ll have to be honest
especially when you’re watching it
nomics & politics that attempt to
and give it a B+. However, it’s cer-
on a wall-sized screen. My
silence him; the hero also has some
tainly worth watching, and from a
god, the awesomeness.
demons from the past, so every-
directorial point of view it’s a real
The movie is set in the town of
body assumes his judgement to be
success for kiwi Roger Donaldson.
Dante’s Peak, Washington, which
clouded; and there’s both a male
that seem like real people.
Finkelstein, and Sara Roy, talk
The film was made over ten
about their upbringings (some
years, which one can definitely feel
within a Zionist community), and
in the two and a half hour cut (an
how they were disenfranchised and
alternate cut was shown at the NZ
came to share the Palestinian
International Film Festival in 2014),
cause. This provides a narrative of
which takes its time to linger on
sorts, but then there are interludes
the human aspects of the story,
of lasting landscape shots showing
sacrificing breadth for a narrower
bombed-out chaos, close-ups of
depth. As such, Cordery appropri-
the dissident art that sprawls over
ately claims that it is “a film” about
NOTES TO ETERNITY
Israel’s gigantic concrete walls, and
Palestine, rather than “the film”. No
animated vignettes which director
doubt some will accuse her of
Sarah Cordery uses creatively to
making “a propaganda film”, but I
Directed by Sarah Cordery RATING: A
give us more perspective on these
suspect she will not mind.
by ANDREW KWIATKOWSKI
four than mere faces and words can
If you are one of those under-
provide. Together with a timeline
grads who hears about Israel and
that jumps back and forth through-
Palestine in the news and ignores
An intensely moving doco about
Holocaust is now being repeated
out the last hundred years, it re-
it because you don’t know anything
the Palestinian struggle, but also
by the state of Israel against
sembles more a notebook (hence
about it you’re looking to watch
much more than that.
Palestinian civilians. The archival
the title) than a cohesive begin-
something light hearted, it would
footage of both make for very
ning-middle-end story, and all of
definitely behoove you to watch
raw viewing.
this moves the film from the doc-
this one. It’s not exactly a cheery
When the film begins by interviewing the most vocal members of a pro-Israel protest, you know it
The format and genre of the film
umentary genre into something
Saturday night flick, but it’s import-
isn’t going to pull any punches. It
are difficult to pin down. Four main
else entirely; something sort of
ant, and it won’t be easily forgotten.
tackles all the difficult issues head-
interviewees, or characters, Noam
bent-sideways, twisted, clutching
first, with the thesis that the
Chomsky, Robert Fisk, Norman
and probing into your soul.
30 May | 2016
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