FILM
A quirky grapple BY EDDIE ALLNUTT
91 Trafalgar Street, Nelson - Ph: 548 3885 The Legend of Baron To’a Action/Comedy Directed by Kiel McNaughton Starring Uli Latukefu, Nathaniel Lees, John Tui, Jay Laga’aia, Shavaughn Ruakere, Xavier Horan 1h 43min
J
ust imagine what happens when Nacho Libre meets the Mob in a miscellany of chuckles and figure-four leg locks. Foremost, this homegrown movie has enough quirkiness and action to keep you entertained with its witty one-liners, a zany foot chase through South Auckland backyards, mana, a pesky cop, romance and even a smidgen of horror. There are also a couple of violent fight scenes – the level of brutality questionable – that make Kiel McNaughton’s debut feature film as a director an oddball that’s worth checking out. Good luck to those who are doing the R classification on this one! It’s set in an enter-at-your-own-risk cul-de-sac called Kinlock Ave, which is full of state housing and gang HQ belonging to the ‘Pig Hunters’. Baron To’a (John Tui) died some years ago but he’s still a legend in the hood, not only for his no-nonsense dealing with scoundrels but also for his pro wrestling antics. You definitely wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of one of the Baron’s frog splashes or a K Road clothesline. The premise is simple. Fritz (Uli Latukefu), a businessman, returns to the dead end to persuade stoic Uncle Otto (Nathaniel Lees – The Matrix Reloaded) to sell up the old family house where Fritz’s dad (Baron To’a) used to live, but there’s a catch. Otto won’t sign the line until a stolen family heirloom is returned and guess who’ve got their trotters on it? It’s not going to be easy for Fritz to get it back from those hog’s breath patched members, young peddling punk prospects and behemoth president, Tahu. Kiel McNaughton was born in Manurewa and played nurse James ‘Scotty’ Scott in Shortland Street. He’s gathered a stellar cast of Māori and Pasifika and has said that he always wanted his first feature to be an action film, although you may find it more aligned to the comedy genre. Auckland-born John Tui of Tongan descent plays Baron To’a seamlessly. He’s got the talent to make a fictional character come alive. He gets sound support from Uli Latukefu, who’s got the lines both verbally and abdominally. Latukefu is Australian-born and, like Tui, has Tongan roots. There’s also good support from another Shorty Street celeb, Shavaughn Ruakere who incidentally made the finals of Dancing with the Stars. She plays Renee, the bodacious neighbour, who Constable Wayne (Xavier Horan) is always trying to get into the ‘sac’. Jay Laga’aia (Captain Typho in Star Wars) plays George the diplomatic neighbour who keeps things covered up and close to his chest. Eddie Allnutt has left the cinema to view the WWF archive of the Bushwhackers attempting a ‘full nelson’ on Andre the Giant.
Movies Screening in MARCH DARK WATERS M | 2hrs 17min Mark Ruffalo (Spotlight) leads this exposé thriller playing the real-life corporate defense attorney who took on the DuPont chemical company polluting the town’s water supply. MILITARY WIVES M | 2hrs Kristin Scott Thomas leads this comedic story based on the real-life phenomena of military wives forming a choir while their partners serve in Afghanistan, leading to a media sensation. A QUIET PLACE: PART II Rating: tbc | Runtime: tbc Director John Krasinski follows-up his 2018 post apocalyptic horror film, which pitted Earth’s last remaining souls against fierce extraterrestrials with sensational hearing. RADIOACTIVE M | 1hr 53min Oscar nominee Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl) is history-making physicist and chemist Marie Curie in this biopic from Oscar-nominated director Marjane Satrapi (Persepolis).
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www.statecinemas.co.nz
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