Sam Neill in ‘Ride Like A Girl’.
Actor, writer, producer and director Sam Neill has been named the recipient of the 2019 Equity New Zealand Lifetime Achievement Award, after being nominated by the Equity board and other Kiwi performers.
“Sam’s career as an actor is remarkable, but what makes this award so special is that it recognises much more than career success,” says Equity Nz president Jennifer Ward-Lealand.
“It acknowledges those members of our industry who give back at every opportunity, who strive to use their influence for important causes and who continually inspire their peers with their good will and humility. Sam leads by example. This award pays tribute to who he is as a person, as much it does his extraordinary talent.”
Neill joined Equity in 1979, and has more than 75 films and over 45 television programs to his credit. His film debut was in Roger Donaldson’s Sleeping Dogs...
Actor, writer, producer and director Sam Neill has been named the recipient of the 2019 Equity New Zealand Lifetime Achievement Award, after being nominated by the Equity board and other Kiwi performers.
“Sam’s career as an actor is remarkable, but what makes this award so special is that it recognises much more than career success,” says Equity Nz president Jennifer Ward-Lealand.
“It acknowledges those members of our industry who give back at every opportunity, who strive to use their influence for important causes and who continually inspire their peers with their good will and humility. Sam leads by example. This award pays tribute to who he is as a person, as much it does his extraordinary talent.”
Neill joined Equity in 1979, and has more than 75 films and over 45 television programs to his credit. His film debut was in Roger Donaldson’s Sleeping Dogs...
- 10/14/2019
- by jkeast
- IF.com.au
Stars: James Rolleston, Lawrence Makoare, Te Kohe Tuhaka, Xavier Horan, Raukura Turei, George Henare, Rena Owen, Pana Hema Taylor, Calvin Tuteao, Jamus Webster, Bianca Hyslop, Isabella Rakete, Matariki Whatarau, Wairangi Koopu, Jeff Ruha | Written by Glenn Standring | Directed by Toa Fraser
Hongi (James Rolleston) – a Māori chieftain’s teenage son – must avenge his father’s murder in order to bring peace and honour to the souls of his loved ones after his tribe is slaughtered through an act of treachery. Vastly outnumbered by a band of villains, led by Wirepa (Te Kohe Tuhaka), Hongi’s only hope is to pass through the feared and forbidden Dead Lands and forge an uneasy alliance with the mysterious “Warrior” (Lawrence Makoare), a ruthless fighter who has ruled the area for years.
I actually found The Dead Lands really entertaining. Not only is the film filled to the brim with crazy Māori fight sequences which look brutal and realistic,...
Hongi (James Rolleston) – a Māori chieftain’s teenage son – must avenge his father’s murder in order to bring peace and honour to the souls of his loved ones after his tribe is slaughtered through an act of treachery. Vastly outnumbered by a band of villains, led by Wirepa (Te Kohe Tuhaka), Hongi’s only hope is to pass through the feared and forbidden Dead Lands and forge an uneasy alliance with the mysterious “Warrior” (Lawrence Makoare), a ruthless fighter who has ruled the area for years.
I actually found The Dead Lands really entertaining. Not only is the film filled to the brim with crazy Māori fight sequences which look brutal and realistic,...
- 6/8/2015
- by Richard Axtell
- Nerdly
“A powerful and gripping tale of revenge” and “A powerful and primal coming of age story that’s an absolute adrenaline rush” are just some of the words of praise Peter Jackson and James Cameron have respectively given "The Dead Lands." The three-time New Zealand Film And TV Award-winner is landing stateside, and today we have an exclusive look at the bloody opening sequence of the film. Read More: King Of The World: The Films Of James Cameron Directed by Toa Fraser, and starring James Rolleston, Lawrence Makoare, Te Kohe Tuhaka, Xavier Horan, George Henare, Raukura Turei, and Rena Owen, the story follows a Maori chieftain's teenage son who must avenge his father's murder in order to bring peace and honor to the souls of his loved ones after his tribe is slaughtered through an act of treachery. But it won't be easy going and this opening scene shows the...
- 4/24/2015
- by Edward Davis
- The Playlist
World peace, even on a small scale, will never be achievable because there’s always some bastard craving the taste of blood. That’s the dilemma faced by Tane (George Henare) and his tribe who are hoping to make peace with their neighbors, but when that opposing chief’s son, Wirepa (Te Kohe Tuhaka), arrives with a squad of warriors in tow it’s clear that war is coming. Quite soon in fact as Wirepa and his men kill Tane and his people leaving only the women and the chief’s son alive. Young Hongi (James Rolleston) is no warrior — we know because we’re told this repeatedly — but as the last man standing from his tribe he sets out after Wirepa with revenge on his mind. He follows his prey into the Dead Lands, a dense section of the forest forbidden to trespassers and home to tales of a monster who eats human flesh, but...
- 4/17/2015
- by Rob Hunter
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Rick Grimes and and the living dead of Robert Kirkman's comic book world get a new look from artist Gilbert Hernandez in the Wizard World Las Vegas variant cover art for The Walking Dead #1. Also featured in our latest round-up are release details for The Lazarus Effect Blu-ray, as well as the trailer for The Dead Lands.
Variant Cover for The Walking Dead #1: Press Release - "Las Vegas, April 13, 2015 -- Wizard World, Inc. (Otcbb: Wizd) and Skybound, Robert Kirkman’s imprint at Image Comics, today announced that Love & Rockets creator Gilbert Hernandez has drawn the seventh in a yearlong series of Limited Edition Exclusive Variant Covers of The Walking Dead #1 comic, to be provided free to all full-price attendees at the inaugural Wizard World Comic Con Las Vegas, April 24-26. Skybound’s The Walking Dead created by Kirkman, the groundbreaking, Eisner Award winning comic book series, continues to captivate audiences worldwide.
Variant Cover for The Walking Dead #1: Press Release - "Las Vegas, April 13, 2015 -- Wizard World, Inc. (Otcbb: Wizd) and Skybound, Robert Kirkman’s imprint at Image Comics, today announced that Love & Rockets creator Gilbert Hernandez has drawn the seventh in a yearlong series of Limited Edition Exclusive Variant Covers of The Walking Dead #1 comic, to be provided free to all full-price attendees at the inaugural Wizard World Comic Con Las Vegas, April 24-26. Skybound’s The Walking Dead created by Kirkman, the groundbreaking, Eisner Award winning comic book series, continues to captivate audiences worldwide.
- 4/13/2015
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Robert Kirkman's All Out War story arc from The Walking Dead comic book series packs the panels with blood-soaked action, but it also features intriguing characters aplenty, and the folks at Diamond Select Toys have captured some of the characters from All Out War and other memorable story lines with The Walking Dead Minimates Series 7, including Rick, Jesus, and Negan. In our latest round-up, we also take a look at the respective trailers and release details for The Reconstruction of William Zero and The Dead Lands.
The Walking Dead Minimates Series 7: Priced at $119.88 as a group and at $9.99 apiece, The Walking Dead Minimates Series 7 are now available from Diamond Select Toys:
"A Diamond Select Toys release! The newest series of Walking Dead Minimates is here, and this time it’s war! Featuring characters from more recent issues of the hit comic book series, this assortment...
The Walking Dead Minimates Series 7: Priced at $119.88 as a group and at $9.99 apiece, The Walking Dead Minimates Series 7 are now available from Diamond Select Toys:
"A Diamond Select Toys release! The newest series of Walking Dead Minimates is here, and this time it’s war! Featuring characters from more recent issues of the hit comic book series, this assortment...
- 4/7/2015
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Sorry for missing last week, dear readers, but I was so busy with work and other commitments that I had to let the column fall by the wayside. But I’m determined to not let that become a habit, and I’ve got something really cool for you this week. In this installment of Trailer Trashin’, I’m taking a look at the upcoming New Zealand action film The Dead Lands.
Premise: After his tribe is slaughtered through an act of treachery, Hongi (James Rolleston), the teenage son of a Maori chieftain, must avenge his father’s murder in order to bring peace and honor to the souls of his loved ones. Vastly outnumbered by a band of villains led by Wirepa (To Kohe Tuhaka), Hongi’s only hope is to pass through the feared and forbidden Dead Lands and forge an uneasy alliance with the mysterious Warrior (Lawrence Makoare...
Premise: After his tribe is slaughtered through an act of treachery, Hongi (James Rolleston), the teenage son of a Maori chieftain, must avenge his father’s murder in order to bring peace and honor to the souls of his loved ones. Vastly outnumbered by a band of villains led by Wirepa (To Kohe Tuhaka), Hongi’s only hope is to pass through the feared and forbidden Dead Lands and forge an uneasy alliance with the mysterious Warrior (Lawrence Makoare...
- 3/4/2015
- by Timothy Monforton
- CinemaNerdz
Exclusive: Xyz Films and General Film Corporation has sold North American rights of the Toronto Film Festival film The Dead Lands to Magnet Releasing. The New Zealand-set action-thriller was directed by Toa Fraser, scripted by Glenn Standring and produced by Matthew Metcalfe and Standring. James Rolleston, Lawrence Makoare, Te Kohe Tuhaka, Xavier Horan, George Henare and Rena Owen star. Magnolia’s Magnet will release in theaters next year and the deal was brokered by Magnet’s Peter Van Steemburg and Xyz’s Nate Bolotin.
Pic was shot in Auckland and the central North Island of New Zealand. Rolleston stars as a Maori chieftain’s teenage son who must avenge his father’s murder in order to bring peace and honor to the souls of his loved ones after his tribe is slaughtered through an act of treachery. Vastly outnumbered by the band of villains, Hongi’s only hope is to...
Pic was shot in Auckland and the central North Island of New Zealand. Rolleston stars as a Maori chieftain’s teenage son who must avenge his father’s murder in order to bring peace and honor to the souls of his loved ones after his tribe is slaughtered through an act of treachery. Vastly outnumbered by the band of villains, Hongi’s only hope is to...
- 9/17/2014
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline
Exclusive: Toa Fraser’s action-thriller sells to UK, Germany and China, among others.
Xyz Films has closed a raft of deals led by a UK sale to Icon Film Distribution on The Dead Lands, already seen by press and industry and received its world premiere on Sept 4.
Rights have also gone to Ascot Elite for Germany, Movies Inspired for Italy, Fabula Films for Turkey, Falcon for the Middle East and Hgc for China. The Jokers previously acquired rights for France.
Toa Fraser’s New Zealand-set action-thriller is based on a screenplay by Glenn Standring, who produced with Matthew Metcalfe, Norman Merry and Tainui Stephens.
The film was shot on location in Auckland and the central North Island of New Zealand and follows a chieftan’s son who sets out to avenge his father’s murder.
James Rolleston from Boy stars alongside Lawrence Makoare, Te Kohe Tuhaka, Xavier Horan, George Henare and Rena Owen.
Ian Dawson at [link...
Xyz Films has closed a raft of deals led by a UK sale to Icon Film Distribution on The Dead Lands, already seen by press and industry and received its world premiere on Sept 4.
Rights have also gone to Ascot Elite for Germany, Movies Inspired for Italy, Fabula Films for Turkey, Falcon for the Middle East and Hgc for China. The Jokers previously acquired rights for France.
Toa Fraser’s New Zealand-set action-thriller is based on a screenplay by Glenn Standring, who produced with Matthew Metcalfe, Norman Merry and Tainui Stephens.
The film was shot on location in Auckland and the central North Island of New Zealand and follows a chieftan’s son who sets out to avenge his father’s murder.
James Rolleston from Boy stars alongside Lawrence Makoare, Te Kohe Tuhaka, Xavier Horan, George Henare and Rena Owen.
Ian Dawson at [link...
- 9/9/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Xyz Films has licensed French rights to Wild Side on its upcoming Maori combat project heading into the Efm.
Toa Fraser (pictured) is currently in production in New Zealand on The Dead Lands.
Xyz holds world rights excluding Australia and New Zealand and will show early footage to buyers in Berlin as part of a dynamic genre slate that includes Kevin Smith’s Tusk.
The Xyz Films principals told ScreenDaily they expect The Dead Lands to raise the profile of Maori hand-to-hand combat in the way their action franchise The Raid has done for the southeast Asian Silat martial art.
Glenn Standring wrote the screenplay about the vengeful son of a Maori chieftain who must enter the forbidden Dead Lands and forge a pact with the mysterious “Warrior” to avenge his slain tribe.
James Rolleston of Boy fame stars alongside Lawrence Makoare, Te Kohe Tuhaka, Xavier Horan and Once Were Warriors cast members George Henare and Rena Owen...
Toa Fraser (pictured) is currently in production in New Zealand on The Dead Lands.
Xyz holds world rights excluding Australia and New Zealand and will show early footage to buyers in Berlin as part of a dynamic genre slate that includes Kevin Smith’s Tusk.
The Xyz Films principals told ScreenDaily they expect The Dead Lands to raise the profile of Maori hand-to-hand combat in the way their action franchise The Raid has done for the southeast Asian Silat martial art.
Glenn Standring wrote the screenplay about the vengeful son of a Maori chieftain who must enter the forbidden Dead Lands and forge a pact with the mysterious “Warrior” to avenge his slain tribe.
James Rolleston of Boy fame stars alongside Lawrence Makoare, Te Kohe Tuhaka, Xavier Horan and Once Were Warriors cast members George Henare and Rena Owen...
- 1/27/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Xyz Films has picked up world rights excluding Australia and New Zealand to the upcoming New Zealand-set action thriller featuring traditional Maori hand-to-hand combat.
Toa Fraser (pictured) will direct from a screenplay by Glenn Standring about a chieftain’s teenage son who must enter a feared region in order to avenge his father’s death.
James Rolleston from Boy, Lawrence Makoare, Te Kohe Tuhaka, Xavier Horan, George Henare and Rena Owen will star.
Production is scheduled for later this month in Auckland and the central North Island of New Zealand. Matthew Metcalfe is the producer. Lord Of The Rings stunt co-ordinator Steve McQuillan will handle the action sequences.
General Film Corporation in association with the New Zealand Film Commission will finance with New Zealand Film Production Fund Trust, Te Mangai Paho, Images and Sound, Lip Sync and UK-based Day Tripper Films, backed by Ingenious Media.
“This is precisely the kind of elevated, culturally relevant...
Toa Fraser (pictured) will direct from a screenplay by Glenn Standring about a chieftain’s teenage son who must enter a feared region in order to avenge his father’s death.
James Rolleston from Boy, Lawrence Makoare, Te Kohe Tuhaka, Xavier Horan, George Henare and Rena Owen will star.
Production is scheduled for later this month in Auckland and the central North Island of New Zealand. Matthew Metcalfe is the producer. Lord Of The Rings stunt co-ordinator Steve McQuillan will handle the action sequences.
General Film Corporation in association with the New Zealand Film Commission will finance with New Zealand Film Production Fund Trust, Te Mangai Paho, Images and Sound, Lip Sync and UK-based Day Tripper Films, backed by Ingenious Media.
“This is precisely the kind of elevated, culturally relevant...
- 12/9/2013
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Four Flat Whites In Italy
By Roger Hall
Skycity Theatre, Bruce Mason Centre & Various Venues / 11 June - 11 July
Starring Stuart Devenie - George Henare - Darien Takle - Annie Whittle - Toni Potter - Peter Daube
Holidays from hell were never so much fun!
Venice! Rome! Tuscany! With a copy of Lonely Planet in one hand and an Italian phrase book in the other, recently retired librarians Adrian and Alison feel prepared to face the excitement of la bella Italia.
By Roger Hall
Skycity Theatre, Bruce Mason Centre & Various Venues / 11 June - 11 July
Starring Stuart Devenie - George Henare - Darien Takle - Annie Whittle - Toni Potter - Peter Daube
Holidays from hell were never so much fun!
Venice! Rome! Tuscany! With a copy of Lonely Planet in one hand and an Italian phrase book in the other, recently retired librarians Adrian and Alison feel prepared to face the excitement of la bella Italia.
- 4/9/2009
- Ausxip.com
Kevin Reynolds' Easter Island epic "Rapa Nui" works hard to dazzle one with its vision of a crumbling 17th-century Polynesian society cut off from the world. And like "The Last of the Mohicans", the Warner Bros. release successfully mixes ultra-romantic situations with detailed storytelling and rock-'em/sock-'em action sequences.
The exciting, unique film has sex appeal (lots of bare flesh), beautiful imagery and relevant messages about humankind's folly, but with no major stars, the film will be searching for an audience. Viewer reaction should be mixed, with the positive heralds prevailing. Getting the word out to twenty- and thirtysomethings is the secret to marketing this island adventure.
Produced by Kevin Costner and Jim Wilson, the sumptuously mounted "Rapa Nui" (the native islanders' name for Easter Island) imagines a Stone Age people self-destructing through environmental mismanagement and festering social inequity.
Discovered by Europeans in 1722, the complete story of Easter Island and the inhabitants who built the hundreds of striking "moai" stone statues has remained a tantalizing mystery ever since.
Reynolds, who wanted to make a film about the subject since childhood, and co-writer Tim Rose Price stick with the prevailing winds and make the island inhabitants long-lost Polynesian seafarers divided between the ruling-class Long Ears and working-class Short Ears.
Ostensibly ruled by an aging figurehead and opportunistic priest, the Long Ears order the carving and moving of relatively huge stone statues, but leave the grunt work to the Short Ears.
The multi-track plot concerns the rivalry between a fun-loving Long Ear Jason Scott Lee) and a smoldering Short Ear (Esai Morales), both of whom love a gorgeous Short Ear maid (Sandrine Holt). The longtime friends quickly become adversaries when Morales' character strikes a deal to enter the annual ritual race that decides who will rule the island. Meanwhile, the desperate creation of more "moai" continues to deforest the island and signal a looming disaster.
Cecil B. De Mille would have been proud of spectacular scenes showing the hauling and eventual toppling of the "moai." The dangerous race over volcanic cliffs and shark-infested waters that climaxes the film is a great payoff, while the concluding strife is grim and apocalyptic.
Lee and Morales are perfectly cast and equal to the considerable physical demands of their roles. Most of the major supporting roles are filled by Maori pros. Eru Potaka-Dewes ("The Piano") plays the island's aging patriarch as a near-senile dreamer. George Henare is also a solid presence as the smug priest.
Filmed on Easter Island locations, "Rapa Nui" is excellently lensed in wide-screen by Stephen F. Window and boasts huge outdoor sets from production designer George Liddle.
The film is frequently propelled (and almost overwhelmed) by Stewart Copeland's wall-to-wall score. Costumer John Bloomfield, with the help of makeup supervisor Peter Frampton and key hairstylist Paul D. Pattison, contributes the believable costumes, tattoos and elongated ears.
RAPA NUI
Warner Bros.
A TIG Productions/Majestic Films production
In association with RCS
A Film by Kevin Reynolds
Director Kevin Reynolds
Producers Kevin Costner, Jim Wilson
Screenplay Tim Rose Price, Kevin Reynolds
Executive producers Barrie M. Osborne, Guy East
Director of photography Stephen F. Window
Production designer George Liddle
Editor Peter Boyle
Music Stewart Copeland
Costume designer John Bloomfield
Casting Elisabeth Leustig
Color/Stereo
Cast:
Noro Jason Scott Lee
Make Esai Morales
Ramana Sandrine Holt
Tupa George Henare
Grandfather Eru Potaka-Dewes
Haoa Zac Wallace
Heke Faenza Reuben
Running time -- 107 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
(c) The Hollywood Reporter...
The exciting, unique film has sex appeal (lots of bare flesh), beautiful imagery and relevant messages about humankind's folly, but with no major stars, the film will be searching for an audience. Viewer reaction should be mixed, with the positive heralds prevailing. Getting the word out to twenty- and thirtysomethings is the secret to marketing this island adventure.
Produced by Kevin Costner and Jim Wilson, the sumptuously mounted "Rapa Nui" (the native islanders' name for Easter Island) imagines a Stone Age people self-destructing through environmental mismanagement and festering social inequity.
Discovered by Europeans in 1722, the complete story of Easter Island and the inhabitants who built the hundreds of striking "moai" stone statues has remained a tantalizing mystery ever since.
Reynolds, who wanted to make a film about the subject since childhood, and co-writer Tim Rose Price stick with the prevailing winds and make the island inhabitants long-lost Polynesian seafarers divided between the ruling-class Long Ears and working-class Short Ears.
Ostensibly ruled by an aging figurehead and opportunistic priest, the Long Ears order the carving and moving of relatively huge stone statues, but leave the grunt work to the Short Ears.
The multi-track plot concerns the rivalry between a fun-loving Long Ear Jason Scott Lee) and a smoldering Short Ear (Esai Morales), both of whom love a gorgeous Short Ear maid (Sandrine Holt). The longtime friends quickly become adversaries when Morales' character strikes a deal to enter the annual ritual race that decides who will rule the island. Meanwhile, the desperate creation of more "moai" continues to deforest the island and signal a looming disaster.
Cecil B. De Mille would have been proud of spectacular scenes showing the hauling and eventual toppling of the "moai." The dangerous race over volcanic cliffs and shark-infested waters that climaxes the film is a great payoff, while the concluding strife is grim and apocalyptic.
Lee and Morales are perfectly cast and equal to the considerable physical demands of their roles. Most of the major supporting roles are filled by Maori pros. Eru Potaka-Dewes ("The Piano") plays the island's aging patriarch as a near-senile dreamer. George Henare is also a solid presence as the smug priest.
Filmed on Easter Island locations, "Rapa Nui" is excellently lensed in wide-screen by Stephen F. Window and boasts huge outdoor sets from production designer George Liddle.
The film is frequently propelled (and almost overwhelmed) by Stewart Copeland's wall-to-wall score. Costumer John Bloomfield, with the help of makeup supervisor Peter Frampton and key hairstylist Paul D. Pattison, contributes the believable costumes, tattoos and elongated ears.
RAPA NUI
Warner Bros.
A TIG Productions/Majestic Films production
In association with RCS
A Film by Kevin Reynolds
Director Kevin Reynolds
Producers Kevin Costner, Jim Wilson
Screenplay Tim Rose Price, Kevin Reynolds
Executive producers Barrie M. Osborne, Guy East
Director of photography Stephen F. Window
Production designer George Liddle
Editor Peter Boyle
Music Stewart Copeland
Costume designer John Bloomfield
Casting Elisabeth Leustig
Color/Stereo
Cast:
Noro Jason Scott Lee
Make Esai Morales
Ramana Sandrine Holt
Tupa George Henare
Grandfather Eru Potaka-Dewes
Haoa Zac Wallace
Heke Faenza Reuben
Running time -- 107 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
(c) The Hollywood Reporter...
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