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pinkunicornz
Reviews
Rocket Power: Race Across New Zealand (2002)
Great, but full of silly mistakes
Like most Kiwis, I was overjoyed when I saw my normally ignored nation took a turn for international stardom, what with the success of the LOTR movies. But it gave me a real thrill to see a kids' cartoon showing the real New Zealand. However, the American producers obviously didn't do much research.
1.) The whole Vegemite thing. First off, Vegemite is Australian. MARMITE is from New Zealand. They taste virtually the same, although most will agree Marmite tastes slightly better and tangier, heh.
2.) Kiwis are almost extinct in New Zealand. You wouldn't see any wandering around, let alone eat Vegemite sandwiches! They're all protected under conservation units.
3.) Theo's Dad pronounces a very important NZ town as 'Wong-geary' where its pronunciation is really 'Fong-a-ray'. I cracked up at this, because the character is native Maori, and if any person would get this wrong it would least likely be a Maori, as the name is of that culture's language.
4.) The accents! My goodness, they were awful. I cringed when I heard a truly awful Australian accent - the producers could of least have cast some actors with New Zealand accents ... a lot more nicer-sounding I think.
There's definitely a lot more significant mistakes which make me quite peeved but that's all I can remember for now. Great feature, though!
Fly Away Home (1996)
Simply Sensational!
As a New Zealander, I am extremely proud of what our homegrown Anna Paquin has accomplished. Her portrayal as Amy in this film is just brilliant, particularly for an actress of her age. She managed her 'Kiwi' accent very well, although she has been mainly living in the USA. I also admire the way the two countries (New Zealand & Canada) have been linked, as not only are they both countries with gorgeous scenery, the people are linked too, and you don't see this in a movie everyday. Jeff Daniels does spectacular as Amy's father, and is obviously suited to this genre of film. The plot is so incredibly original. Kudos to the writers and producers for creating such a heart-warming, touching plot that will leave you on tenterhooks.
The Piano (1993)
Unique
I have only seen a tiny bit of this movie, but I can see why it won several Oscars. I would definitely agree that New Zealand is one of the best locations in the world to shoot a movie, if not the best. I guess Peter Jackson thought so too. I hope to see my country being more involved with the big-wigs!