Latest news with #HeavenlyCreatures
Scoop
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
Trailer Released For Kiwi Feature Film Pike River Ahead Of Nationwide Cinema Release On October 30
Aotearoa audiences will get the first look at one of the year's most anticipated local films, with the official trailer for Pike River released today. The powerful drama, based on the November 2010 Pike River Mine tragedy that took the lives of 29 men underground, will open in cinemas nationwide on October 30, 2025. The trailer offers a glimpse into the strength of performances from an all-star New Zealand cast. Pike River marks three-time Emmy nominee Melanie Lynskey's (Yellowjackets, The Last of Us, Heavenly Creatures) homecoming to work on a New Zealand feature, working alongside BAFTA nominated NZ actress Robyn Malcolm (After the Party, Far North, Outrageous Fortune). The film also features Lucy Lawless (Xena, My Life Is Murder) as Helen Kelly, and Tim Gordon (The Kick) as Pike families spokesperson Bernie Monk. Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Rob Sarkies (Out of the Blue, Scarfies), Pike River tells the true story of Anna Osborne (Melanie Lynskey) and Sonya Rockhouse (Robyn Malcolm) – two women who lost their loved ones in the disaster and became leading voices in the families' long fight for truth and accountability. Pike River was filmed on location in Greymouth, Wellington and Auckland. Pike River families have been closely involved in the production from its inception with the film supported by the Families Committee and Families Reference Group. Prominent Pike family members Sonya Rockhouse and Anna Osborne, whose friendship the film focuses on, have endorsed the film. The New Zealand premiere of Pike River is set to be held in Māwhera Greymouth in October, honouring the community at the heart of the story. The film will have its World Premiere at Sydney Film Festival on June 7, as a 'Special Presentation' at the 2,000 seat State Theatre. Some Pike River families from New Zealand and Australia will be in attendance along with members of the cast and crew. Director Rob Sarkies commented: 'After working closely for more than five years with many of the Pike River families it's gratifying to be sharing the first glimpse of the film. I hope Pike River will give New Zealanders an insight into the determination of these families and an understanding of what they went through, and why. Melanie and Robyn have done an extraordinary job capturing Anna and Sonya's inspiring friendship that transformed them into leaders for their community.' Written by (Consent, Bliss, Piece of My Heart), Pike River was produced by Vicky Pope (Savage, Went Up The Hill, Gardening with Soul) and Timothy White (Muru, Out of the Blue The Dark Horse) with Executive Producers Melanie Lynskey, Robyn Malcolm, Paul Wiegard, Paul Gough, James Dean, Jennifer Sutton, Doug Gold, William Watson, Ella Field, Elizabeth Williams and Rob Sarkies. Madman will distribute theatrically in New Zealand and Australia, with Capture Entertainment handling international sales. The film has been made in association with the New Zealand Film Commission, NZ On Air, Signature Entertainment, Park Road Post Production, Fulcrum Media Finance, Madman and Nude Run.
NZ Herald
14-05-2025
- NZ Herald
The controversial case of Peter Ellis, Christchurch childcare worker - A Moment in Crime
One child said his belly button was removed with pliers. Later, there were allegations of 'Asian men dressed as cowboys' abuse at Masonic lodges, cemeteries, the Park Royal Hotel and private houses that were all a significant distance from the creche. And then there was the circle incident – perhaps the most discussed and most controversial allegation of the Ellis case. It was claimed that a group of children were taken to an address on the other side of Christchurch and forced to stand naked in a circle while adults danced around them. The adults encouraged the children to kick each other in the genitals. Ellis denied all of the charges but in 1993, after a six-week trial, a jury found him guilty on 16 counts of child sexual abuse involving seven children at the creche. He seven years in prison before being released in 2000. Ellis maintained his innocence throughout and battled through numerous unsuccessful appeals and applications for pardons. In 2019, the Supreme Court agreed to hear his final appeal, based on the fairness of his trial. Ellis passed away from bladder cancer several months later. In 2022 – for the first time in New Zealand history – the Supreme Court allowed the appeal to proceed posthumously. A panel of senior judges unanimously found that Ellis had suffered a substantial miscarriage of justice due to inadmissible expert evidence and the risk of contamination in the children's testimonies. They ruled that during the trial the evidence from the Crown's expert witness lacked balance. Further, the jury was not adequately informed about the risk of contamination in the memories of young children. The case of Peter Ellis is one of the most controversial court cases and arguably one of the most outrageous miscarriages of justice in our country's legal history. Advertise with NZME. In today's episode of A Moment In Crime, host and senior journalist Anna Leask discusses the story of Peter Ellis – who he was, how he came to be at the centre of a national sex abuse scandal and why he was finally exonerated. Episodes of A Moment In Crime are usually released monthly and, so far, Leask has covered more than 60 cases, including the murders of Grace Millane, Scott Guy, Austin Hemmings, Carmen Thomas, Karen Aim; the deaths of the Kahui twins; the Christchurch mosque attack and the historic Heavenly Creatures murder; the case of Lauren Dickason who was jailed for murdering her three young daughters soon after emigrating to New Zealand; and the massacres at Raurimu and Aramoana. In 2023, the podcast published a three-part special covering the case of rich-lister and philanthropist James Wallace, who was convicted of sexually assaulting three men. He was jailed and had his knighthood stripped from him. And to mark the 30th anniversary of the Bain family murders, Leask produced a two-part special reflecting on the atrocious loss of life and legal saga that followed. Since 2019, A Moment in Crime has produced over 50 episodes and has been downloaded over 1 million times, with listeners in over 170 countries. It was nominated for Best True Crime Podcast at the 2024 Radio and Podcast Awards. Anna Leask is a Christchurch-based reporter who covers national crime and justice. She joined the Herald in 2008 and has worked as a journalist for just under 20 years with a particular focus on family and gender-based violence, child abuse, sexual violence, homicides, mental health and youth crime. She writes, hosts and produces the award-winning podcast A Moment In Crime, released monthly on
Buzz Feed
07-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
I've Been Binging WLW Content Like It's My Job, And These 9 Movies And Shows Will Make Your Watchlist Gloriously Gayer
This list is very simple: I'm gay, and I like to watch gay things. EVEN OUTSIDE OF PRIDE MONTH! *Flips my new pixie cut* More specifically, I'm an "L" in the glorious LGBTQIA+ soup of ours. So while a lot of these picks lean in that direction, there's something queer for everyone here, I promise. ^ You after watching everything on this list, probably. 1. Even Cowgirls Get The Blues (1993) Fine Line Features/ Everett Collection Ok so get this: Uma Thurman plays a hitchhiking model who has ABSOLUTELY G-G-G-GINORMOUS THUMBS. She moves to a wellness ranch overtaken by lesbian cowgirls, where she takes a lover whose name is — are you ready — BONANZA JELLYBEAN! *collapses* This film radicalized me. I too now want to move to a ranch with my lover. I too want to have thumbs the size of a paper towel roll. I've been living in a state of how come no one talks about this freak-ass movie since I saw it two months ago. So now I'm passing this onto you gays!!! 🫵 My warning: like maaaany movies of yesteryear, this film unfortunately has a few questionable (and inappropriate) character portrayals. On top of that, Roseanne Barr is in it for like three seconds. None of which I endorse!!! TO BE CLEAR! 2. Heavenly Creatures (1994) A universal lesbian experience is going "I loooooove Melanie Lynskey." And whether your entry point to the ML fan club was lesbian classic But I'm a Cheerleader, lesbian classic Yellowjackets or even lesbian classic Coyote Ugly, may I suggest going right to the beginning of her career and watching her acting debut in lesbian classic Heavenly Creatures. It's ALSO Kate Winslet's acting debut, who you know from lesbian classic Ammonite or maybe even straight classic... Titanic. For this film, may I direct you to my own personal Letterboxd review, which is simply: "Teenage lesbian situationship ends in matricide directed by Peter Jackson...a movie made in a lab just or Bella..." And perhaps therefore made in lab just for you too! 3. If These Walls Could Talk 2 (2000) HBO Films If you've ever seen screenshots of butch Chloë Sevigny (❤️❤️❤️❤️), it's most likely from this HBO film, the sequel to (aptly named) If These Walls Could Talk. While the original was an anthology that dove into abortion storylines, the second focuses on three different lesbian couples from different time periods. And while you may recognize this movie from butch Chloë Sevigny (❤️❤️❤️❤️), did you know that there is ANOTHER STORYLINE featuring — you aren't ready for what I'm about to tell you — ELLEN DEGENERES and SHARON STONE. They play wives tryna have a baby. There are s*x scenes. And mama? It's jarring!!!! 4. D.E.B.S. (2004) Samuel Goldwyn Films/ Everett Collection Okay waittttt, I know D.E.B.S. is kinda Lesbian Filmography 101, right up there with cursed film Blue is the Warmest Colour, but it's a new watch for me. If it'll be a new watch for you too, it's kinda like a gay(...er) Charlie's Angels. There is LOTS of lezzing out in this campy spy movie, and if it's an enemies to lovers storyline you're looking for—this is the ONE! 5. Down With Love (2003) 20th Century Fox/ Everett Collection This one's not necessarily queer in storyline, but rather queer in the sense of Renée Zellwegger and Ewan McGregor sing at the end. And also our Lesbian Grand Marshal Sarah Paulson is in it too. 6. Novitiate (2017) Sony Pictures Classics /Everett Collection Well, well, well, what do we have here? A gay nun movie featuring Margaret Qualley and (said in Tiffany Pollard's voice) DIANNA AGRON????? As someone who basically has a PhD in Gay Nun Movies (don't get me started on Benedetta) and a PhD in shipping Dianna Agron with whatever female co-star is closest to her in any given Glee scene, this movie certainly doooo scratch a certain itch! 7. Bound (1996) GramercyPictures/ Courtesy Everett Collection Probably one of the hottest movies of all time to ever star a character named CORKY (Gina Gershon). It's an erotic crime thriller featuring ultimate femme fatale (and friend of Sutton Stracke ofc) Jennifer Tilly. What's there not to love? Now for a couple TV picks I've been loooooving: 8. Ghosting (2024—) CBC Everything in life benefits from being gayer—even ghost hunting shows. Meet Ghosting, a Canadian series that follows hosts Luke Hutchie and Matthew Finlan (along with a gaggle of celeb guests) as they travel across Canada to investigate the country's most haunted places. This show is so dumb (compliment). Imagine you get invited to your weekly "gay guy music video night" but surprise! You all have to ghost hunt together in like, a mine. That's Ghosting. And it's ADDICTING. You can watch it on CBC Gem if you're in Canada, or stream it on Youtube if you're anywhere else. 9. Survival of the Thickest (2023—) Netflix I'm soooo glad Season 2 of Survival of the Thickest is out— and gayer than ever before, I may I add!!! Michelle Buteau is back as Mavis, and watching her and her friends navigate love makes for a very real (but very funny) watch. Throw Drag Race fave (and anti-fracker) Peppermint and Beverly Hills housewife Garcelle Beauvais into the mix, and you have the perfect bingable show.
