Turbo Kid

While Turbo Kid is a Canadian film it is set in an anonymous semi-industrial, post-apocalyptic wasteland. A world were people live off the refuse of the the twentieth century, water is scarce and control of the water supply is the source of power.

Turbo Kid has its roots in an era when BMX bikes were cool and comics were read by kids, and not by middle aged men. Our hero is a young scavenger. An orphan who dreams of rescuing a girl in the manner of his favourite comic book hero. When he finally meets a girl (overly friendly and enthusiastic, pink haired Apple) he is nonplussed, but Apple's kidnap by Zeus's henchmen spurs him into action. He is reluctantly assisted by an itinerant arm-wrestling champion.

The action in this film is accompanied by BMX chases, fantastic improvised weapons, gore and fountains of blood. Some of the violence is not for the squeamish, even though it is intended to be funny.

Michael Ironside plays evil Zeus with relish, channeling the best of B-movie and James Bond villain sadism, revenge and gloating, surrounded by his BMX riding henchmen (and woman). As the man with his hand on the tap, he supplies water and sadistic entertainment to the local population. As each of his henchmen are bumped off Zeus and The Kid are brought closer and closer to face each other in the final denouement.

Turbo Kid doesn't take itself seriously. It is out to entertain us as if it were the love child of Spielberg and Tarantino.


Ian's rating 4/5 Anne's rating 3.5/5

Monsieur Lazhar

A primary school teacher hangs herself in despair. An unemployed man turns up uninvited as a replacement teacher. A principal under pressure turns a blind eye to the lack of paperwork. An asylum seeker tries to convince skeptical Canadian authorities of his fear of persecution. A kid acts out as a form of absolution. Desperate Remedies would work as a title for this film (except that someone else got there first).

Monsieur Lazhar opens with a primary school trying to cope with the sudden death of a teacher and Bachir Lazhar's appearance at the Principal's door with an offer she can't refuse. Where else could she get a relieving / replacement teacher at such short notice? From then on the film slowly peels back the layers of mystery that make up Bachir Lazhar. In parallel Monsieur Lazhar gently pokes fun at current trends in parenting and teaching, and also at some of the conclusions about children that adults jump to.

Overall Monsieur Lazhar is a feel good movie about an uptight middle age Algerian with his heart in the right place and starring the cutest kids in Quebec, who educate their unusual teacher as much as he educates them.

Simon and Alice

Ian's rating 4/5

This film was preceded by a much darker and harder to watch short film called Lambs; about Kiwi kids in a Once were Warriors situation. It is set in Cannons Creek, was awarded the $5000 Madman entertainment jury prize.

The Last Dogs of Winter

A good documentary takes you someplace else, introduces you to someone new or gives you something new to think about after you've had your attention occupied for ninety minutes or so. The last dogs of winter does all three. It was made by Wellingtonian Costa Botes who has done a variety of good stuff, including short film I'm quite fond of, Stalin's Sickle.

The someplace else in this film is Churchill, Manitoba which is famous for being the Polar Bear Capital of the World. I'd like to go Polar Bear spotting one day, so this is one reason why I went. The someone(s) new are Qimmiq (Eskimo Dogs) about which I knew nothing at all,  and about the man (Brian Ladoon) who, almost single-handedly, has brought the species back from the edge of extinction. He's aided in the quest by a New Zealander, Caleb Ross,  who brought Brian and the dogs to Costa Botes' attention and caused the film to be made.

The new stuff to think about is the logistics and the politics of bringing a domesticated species back from extinction when the species really has to live outside but has to be managed by people and can't be left to run free. Tricky stuff. You get plenty of opinion on the matter from the people interviewed in the film. You also get great footage of both dogs and bears who both have oodles of furry animal charm, and a landscape that couldn't be more different from Wellington.

My rating: 4/5.