Jubilee

Simple unsophisticated, basic, cliched, but it does a reasonable job of not pretending to be more than it is, a simple small town NZ story comedy, put your brain in neutral and get some basic entertainment, if thats not what you want then don't watch it

If punch-lines you heard when you were a small child, two-dimensional characters, far-fetched plot and teeth-grindingly bad dialogue is entertaining for you, then this is YOUR movie! If not, then avoid it at all costs.

The premise of the organisation of a small town jubilee sounds like a good basis for a comfortable comedy, but the script and direction of the movie flickers between both comedy and serious drama so quickly, one is not certain whether to laugh at the misfortunes of these characters, or treat the movie so seriously that all its charm goes out the window.

Jubilee is based on a book which probably should be read instead of seeing the film - there is a lot more time for interesting and believable writing (and three dimensional characters) in a book. The "jokes" are childish, old, and weren't particularly good when they were new, either. The only humorous thing about this movie is that the makers somehow convinced people handed over money to watch it in the cinema.

I have to admit the only reason I sought this out was because I'm a Kevin Smith fan, and lets face it - we won't be seeing anything new from him sadly.

If you want a movie that will make you think - run your brain around on a wheel like a small mouse, well, look somewhere else. The scenery is rather nice, but most of New Zealand's green hills are. Someone not familiar with Kiwi life may however, come to the conclusion that everyone runs around with no pants on in nothing but their wellies.

It is good for a laugh though! Don't expect anything and you might just enjoy it. If for nothing else watch it for the gorgeous God of War who pops in as an All Blacks player *sigh*. The cast do a good job with not much to work with and they have to be applauded for that.

I thought it was brilliant...then again I'm completely biased as I worked as an extra in this film, and went to the premier. I live in Riverhead where my old primary school was used as the reunion spot. We worked nights, and that was pretty hard, considering I had a baby at the time (shes 7 now), but I really had the time of my life, and it ignited my wish to work in film. I know it might seem a bit blah to most people, but if you knew the work that went into making it, I think you'd see it differently. I too was a fan of Kevin Smith after the Xena series...kind of strange finding out a person you worked with has died...also Theresa and Cliff are really nice people, as is Micheal Hurst (director). I'm thrilled to say I managed to get a letter of recommendation from him to use if I ever manage to get a portfolio together. All in all, working on the film was great, and seeing it, I thought it was pretty good.

Cheers, Ena

RIP Kev

When the chairwoman of the Waimatua school jubilee committee unexpectedly falls victim to a farm accident, local man Billy Williams finds himself in an unusual position of responsibility.

It's fair to say the upcoming 75th jubilee is taking its toll not just on Billy and the close-knit community, but on Billy's wife, Pauline -- who goes through her own personal crisis.

The humour covers several bases, from wry comment to outright slapstick, and the cultural references are dead-on, though the characters are borderline stereotype. Sometimes, though, this film is so close to the mark it's scary.