dark and stormy night is a 2009 independent film spoofing the haunted house and murder mystery films produced by hollywood in the 1930s and 1940s .

larry blamire directed and acted in the film and wrote the screenplay .

the film also includes many cast members from blamire 's previous films ( such as the lost skeleton of cadavra and trail of the screaming forehead ) the title refers to the often-parodied opening sentence from the novel paul clifford by edward bulwer-lytton .

dark and stormy night

with the headline : evening hours ; it was a dark and stormy night .
it was a dark and stormy night . . .
exhibit - bend art center
it was a dark and stormy night . suddenly . . . an example rang out ! :
larry blamire wrote and directed both ‘‘dark and stormy night’’ ( pictured ) and ‘‘the lost skeleton returns again . ’’
yes , the night was dark . . . but why wasn ' t it stormy ?
snoopy writes his novel during a dark and stormy night in one of the metropolitan life commercials starring him .
a comedy / mystery stage play written by tim kelly is entitled it was a dark and stormy night .
it was a dark and stormy night , and the captain said to antonio , ' tell us a tale , antonio . ' and this is the tale antonio told : ' it was a dark and stormy night . . .
sorry , i ' ve always wanted to write that . but it really was a dark and stormy night .
it was a dark and stormy night . i had just taken a creative writing course . . .
it was a dark and stormy night . luckily there was this really great guy here to save you !
looking for movie tickets ? enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing dark and stormy night near you .
“dark and stormy night cocktail” from the swig bar in san francisco : pour ginger beer into a highball glass and top with zaya rum .
another case of a never - ending story example : it was a dark and stormy night , and the robbers were in the den , and bill said . ' tell us a story . ' so ben began : ' it was a dark and stormy night . . . '
lampshaded in the gloves are off —
it was a dark and stormy night - except that it was mid afternoon and partly cloudy .
on a dark and stormy night is a movie starring juan riedinger , eva - maria leonardou , and aaron massey . friends gather on halloween night for the last party of their lives .
lucy says that snoopy should write a christmas story . he starts with
it was a dark and stormy christmas night . . .
the official english version of mahou sensei negima ! translated the title of chapter 68 into a pun based on this :
it was a dark and stormy visitor
. and yes , it does take place during a dark and stormy night .
begins with the unnamed narrator giving this line , then apologizing to the reader and giving a more original and detailed description of the truthfully dark and stormy night .
it was not a dark and stormy night . indeed , there was nothing in the elements to foreshadow the events that lay ahead .
the zachary nixon johnson novel the doomsday brunette opens with
it was a dark and stormy night . . .
as the first sentence .
servo : it was a fortnight ago , and it was . . . a — hey ! — a dark and stormy night ! ha ha ha !
our town
begins with a couple in a parked car , in the woods , at night , which is the
it was a dark and stormy night
for modern horror .
lucy suggests he write a political novel , and he comes up with ,
it was a dark and stormy night . suddenly a vote rang out !
the band creature feature has the song
it was a dark and stormy night
as the first song on their album of the same name .
“it was a dark and stormy night” is taking over the oak ridge high school theater beginning march 16 and the excitement is brewing as the cast goes through rehearsals .
it was a dark and stormy night—or so the heralds say— and lightning striking constantly transformed the night to day the thunder roared the castle round—or thusly runs the tale— and rising from the northeast tower there came a fearful wail .
the cowardly cat tells an origin tale of mighty mouse in
the cat ' s tale
and starts it with beginning on a
dark and stormy night .
the 4kids dub of kirby of the stars titles the episode with kracko ' a dark and stormy knight ' .
time pressure by spider robinson begins with this sentence , then has a paragraph about how yes , it really was a dark and stormy night , and he ' s saying it even if it ' s cliche . he then returns to his sentence :
it was a dark and stormy night—when suddenly the snot ran out . . .
' ' oh , a dark and stormy night . it ' s nights like these that remind me of the time mr . krabs and spongebob thought they killed the health inspector .
with
it was going to be a dark and stormy night .
it then proceeds to shamelessly mock the phrase during the first chapter , with the following quote :
despite being in a visual medium , wild arms 3 opens with the words
it was a dark and stormy night ,
overlaid on animated storm clouds . unironically .
a dark and stormy night : why we love the gothic inspired by the new film crimson peak , critic genevieve valentine digs into our enduring love for stormy nights , eerie castles , romantically exotic monsters , swooning maidens and all things gothic .
it was a dark and stormy night . no , it was a cold and dark and stormy night . it was the kind of night you would want to curl up in front of a warm fire with a snifter of brandy . even if you were a diehard fan of chamber music , you wouldn’t want to go out on such a dire evening , especially to hear a string quartet in an unheated barn !
chantal , a character in the sandman has a dream which is a loop of a sailor telling a story that begins with
it was a dark and stormy night .
in corpse party pc 98 , telling a certain horror story on a dark and stormy night actually triggers sachiko ' s curse , pulling them and anyone listening to the tale into tenjin elementary .
strange science takes place on such a night , with a mad scientist working out of an old dark house .
it was a dark and stormy night when the good anthony arrived at the famous creek ( sagely denominated haerlem river ) which separates the island of manna - hatta from the main land .
speaking of holidays , she also suggests he write a thanksgiving story . snoopy gets as far as
it was a dark and stormy night . suddenly , a turkey rang out !
“it was a dark and stormy night” runs march 16 - 18 and 23 - 25 with showtimes at 7 p . m . at the oak ridge theater , 1120 harvard way in el dorado hills .
paranoia : it was a sunny and quiet night cycle , absolutely perfect thanks to the wisdom and vigilance of our friend computer . rumors that the night was dark and stormy are treasonous . please report any traitor spreading those rumors immediately . thank you for your cooperation , citizen !
lucy complains that all snoopy ' s novels begin with that line . snoopy , completely missing the point , promptly changes it to
it was a stormy and dark night . . .
another strip , snoopy is typing a letter to his mother to wish her a happy mother ' s day , which includes , in part ,
i remember the night i was born . it was a dark and stormy night . . .
lucy tells snoopy that all good novels begin with
once upon a time
. snoopy promptly reboots :
once upon a time , it was a dark and stormy night . . .
in a episode of mucha lucha the flea told his baby sister pulgita a scary story about the masked toilet he begins by saying
it was a dark and stormy night . . .
,
at the end of the intro to the classic tex avery mgm cartoons short who killed who , the unreliable narrator says ,
our story opens on a dark and stormy night . . .
the first line of the sixth book in the septimus heap series , darke , is
it is a darke and stormy night .
dungeons and dragons : it was a dark and stormy night . a thunderbolt hit kellak the conqueror , but with his ring of resistance + 5 and his shield of protection from lightning , he easily made his saving throw and was left unharmed .
the phrase has been used frequently as a comic device by charles m . schulz in the popular comic strip peanuts . the aspiring author snoopy is often portrayed typing ' a dark and stormy night ' .
in the goosebumps novel the blob that ate everyone , the protagonist acquires a typewriter that alters reality . so when he types
it was a dark and stormy night
, it actually becomes one .
it was a dark and stormy night . a single figure stood alone in the downpour . . . huh huh huh ! it ' s like the opening to a really good bad movie .
following on from the above book sonic the hedgehog in castle robotnik ; for the second book in a row the story starts of with this line , but this wasn ' t enough for the author as the second chapter starts off with
it was another dark and stormy night . in fact , it was even darker and stormier than the first dark and stormy night .
and it happens yet again with the fifth chapter , by now the author is really poking fun at himself
it was yet another dark and stormy night ; blimey , everyone was thinking , but mobius has had a real run of bad weather lately .
now dictate the following sentence to your students : ' it was a dark and stormy night and ' . stop at this point and ask them to write in the name of the person they have drawn and followed by the word ' was ' .
lucy again complains that all snoopy ' s novels begin the same . snoopy writes
it was a dark and stormy noon . . .
the titular character of big nate submitted one his social studies paper that begins with
it was a dark and stormy night in the morning . . .
mrs . godfrey immediately gave him an f .
a small boy who has been kidnapped by brigands , passes a dark and stormy night in their cave weaving for them incredible stories of their own exploits . through the stories he solves his own problem and manages to escape .
realms of the haunting starts off literally in a dark and stormy night , and in fact the weather in heled ( earth , the mortal realm ) stays that way throughout the game . it ' s not narrated , however .
antonio , a small boy who has been kidnapped by brigands , passes a dark and stormy night in their cave weaving for them incredible stories of their own exploits and through this actually solves his own problem of how to escape .
one issue of wonder woman has a supporting character narrating his meeting with batman , beginning with :
he was a dark and stormy knight .
when kyon realizes that haruhi might end the world in kyon : big damn hero , he starts cursing the weather for not being dark and stormy .
lucy , having read a draft of the aforementioned novel , tells snoopy that his writing lacks subtlety . his new draft commences with :
it was a kind of dark and sort of stormy night . . .
dark and stormy night is episode six of the sixth season in this television sitcom on family matters , that originally aired from abc on october 28 , 1994 . it was directed by john tracy and written both by jim geoghan and fred fox , jr .
in episode 6 of season ii of inanimate insanity , nickel told a scary story , starting by saying ,
it was a dark and stormy night ,
which was enough to scare suitcase and balloon , causing them to run away .
castle murders by john dechancie opens on a college campus , with the spoonerism
it was a stark and dormy night . . .
he uses the line
it was a dark night of sturm und drang .
the opening of julian may ' s jack the bodiless is :
it was a dark and stormy night , as so many nights were on denali , where topography and climate conspired to produce some of the galaxy ' s worst weather .
in the ollivander children ' s sequel , the ollivanders at war , calliope ollivander notes at the start of one chapter that it should be a dark and stormy night , but she can ' t quite tell , being trapped underground .
the first line of the mercedes lackey novel oathbreakers is this . the next paragraph is a telepathic complaint about how the focus character is thinking in cliches . this is followed by a retort that the night really is dark and stormy .
in the commodore amiga version of the rogue like moria ( which evolved into angband ) you could encounter an enemy called
a dark and stormy k night
. unlike the trope this monster is no joke being fast and attacking with blinding ( as it is
dark
) and lightning ( as it is
stormy
) attacks as well as physically - very dangerous if you get caught by surprise by one .
bulwer - lytton ' s literary efforts weren ' t entirely in vain . his work was highly popular during his lifetime and he has left us more than ' a dark and stormy night ' . for instance , the great unwashed and the pen is mightier than the sword .
snoopy ( from the popular peanuts cartoon strip ) began every novel with the dramatic opening line , “it was a dark and stormy night…” . a6 artist members were challenged to use this phrase as an art prompt , creating abstract and representational works full of foreboding and narrative possibility .
the prisoner 1967 episode
a , b , and c
underscores the mad - scientist dream - control experiment performed on the drugged number six by holding it on a dark and stormy night . and why they didn ' t all catch their deaths i ' ll never know .
lucy tells him he has to focus on the characters more , and create an iconic hero protagonist . so he changes it to
he was a dark and stormy knight . . .
from the filmmakers behind the lost skeleton of cadavra comes an homage to the old dark house genre like no other ! a strange and mysterious group of strange , mysterious people gathers in the old dark house of the cavinder estate for the reading of the will of the late sinas cavinder . strangest and most mysterious of this group is the unseen psychopathic killer who is killing the attendees one by one . larry blamire and his usual stellar ensemble cast , including daniel roebuck , jennifer blaire , dan conroy , brian howe , fay masterson , trish geiger , jim beaver and more , conjure up the most frightfully funny old dark house movie in ages ! mystery , suspense , screams and laughs : dark and stormy night delivers it all ! bonus features : * cast and crew audio commentary * a behind - the scenes look at dark and stormy night
parodies this : some of the upper levels of the haunted mansion are called
a dark and stormy knight
. naturally , this is where scooby encounters the black knight .
this radio play within a play takes place in a mansion owned by the reclusive and not very well liked mystery writer sam slaughter , played by kaden call . this is also the recording studio for sam’s popular radio show , “it was a dark and stormy night” and where the mystery begins .
a wrinkle in time by madeleine l engle is a popular and critically acclaimed novel known for starting with the line . to her endless frustration , the uk publishers revised it to read
it was a dark and stormy night in a small village in the united states .
dark and stormy night is a movie starring jim beaver , jennifer blaire , and larry blamire . in the 1930s the family of old sinas cavinder , gathered for the reading of his will , find themselves being murdered by a mysterious phantom while two rival reporters compete for the story .
the first book of the knight and rogue series begins with
to say it was a dark and stormy night would be a gross understatement .
the character narrating that chapter goes on to exaggerate the weather for the rest of the paragraph before settling into his regular snarky tone .
when bloo is spinning a false tale of uncle pocket ' s
evil
in fosters home for imaginary friends , he begins by saying
it was a dark and stormy night . . .
, only for mr . herriman to protest that it was morning and quite sunny out .
sam slaughter ( kaden call ) , left , pronounces that he will reveal who killed sheila sylvester to molly ( ashley adams ) in the murder mystery “it was a dark and stormy night” opening at oak ridge high school on thursday , march 16 . democrat photo by shelly thorene
the autumn night that don francisco nasi was musing on was a filthy one , slapping its rain and wind against the glass . it was the kind of night on which bad novels began .
it wasn ' t a dark and stormy night . it should have been , but there ' s the weather for you . for every mad scientist who ' s had a convenient thunderstorm just on the night his great work is complete and lying on the slab , there have been dozens who ' ve sat around aimlessly under the peaceful stars while igor clocks up the overtime .
marie corelli was very fond of this . her great novel ardath starts out with a dark and stormy night over huge forbidding mountains as her byronic hero climbs to a remote monastery in search of . . . a cure for writer ' s block . it makes sense in context though .
the tongue - in - cheek opening sentence of aunt dimity beats the devil reads :
it was a dark and stormy afternoon on the high moors of northumberland .
of course , at the time lori is driving en route to an old dark house in hostile weather . . .
a fascinating exploration of one of the most significant moments in gothic history - the night when mary shelley , lord byron and their cohorts gathered together at lake geneva to tell ghost stories . the night
wild card rule : resist the temptation to work with puns like “it was a stark and dormy night . “
submit the article you write , “it was a dark and stormy night… , ” to contact capt’n bill , and he will publish them here on the captain’s blog . use your imagination , go out on the metaphorical limb , ( we’ll do the sawing ) . have fun . see what you can come up with .
detective sampson ( drake riddiough ) , center , investigates what happened to sam slaughter ( kaden call ) as pete wilson ( ethan gomez ) looks on in “it was a dark and stormy night” presented by oak ridge high school , 1120 harvard way , el dorado hills . democrat photo by shelly thorene
detective sampson ( drake riddiough ) , center , investigates what happened to sam slaughter ( kaden call ) as pete wilson ( ethan gomez ) looks on in
it was a dark and stormy night” presented by oak ridge high school , 1120 harvard way , el dorado hills . democrat photo by shelly thorene
snoopy attempted to write a sequel to gone with the wind , focusing more on rhett and scarlett ' s relationship . he got as far as
it was a dark and stormy marriage
before deciding it was a bad idea .
the whole plot of arashi no yoru ni starts with mei the goat and gabu the wolf bonding in an abandoned barn while hiding from a storm . the title literally means
one stormy night
, and it serves as mei and gabu ' s secret phrase .
collins - ised pop songs have included music by brian wilson , david bowie , the shirelles , the andrews sisters , roy orbison ( on the at close quarters compilation ) and others , and he considers his altered versions of classical music to fit the same approach ( e . g . broken light , on it ' s a dark and stormy night ) .
references the famous line , in regards to the stormy evening at the start of the fifth chapter .
i’m talking serious here . the competition would be the best “dark and stormy” , a touch of the literary , although at 168 words the example above hardly rates a glance . can you do better ? do you care ?
he tried to change it once without lucy , writing ,
it may have been dark . it may have been stormy . but one thing was certain , it was night .
then , after rereading it , he thought ,
i think that could be shortened somehow . . .
o ' connor said he expected lytton to be vindicated in the debate .
as he wrote , ' one of the sublimest things in the world is the plain truth ' ,
he said , adding :
it won ' t be a ' dark and stormy night ' ; the debate is at 3pm .
, snoopy ' s incarnation as world - famous novelist , with his typewriter set atop his doghouse . he eventually managed to string together an entire ' novel ' out of banal dramatic clichés , including the oft - heard opening line :
it was a dark and stormy night . . . suddenly , a shot rang out !
it was a dark and stormy night ; the rain fell in torrents - except at occasional intervals , when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets ( for it is in london that our scene lies ) , rattling along the housetops , and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness .
it was a dark and stormy night ; the rain fell in torrents  except at occasional intervals , when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets ( for it is in london that our scene lies ) , rattling along the housetops , and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness .
during one wwe storyline
sexual chocolate
mark henry was receiving therapy from an inconveniently hot therapist for his sexual addiction . when she asked him about his first sexual experience , he said ,
well , it was a dark and stormy night , and i was real scared !
she asked why he was scared and he immediately replied ,
because i was all alone !
appears in some english translations of the three musketeers . the original :
c ' etait une nuit orageuse et sombre .
literally ,
it was a stormy and dark night
( the primary meaning of orage is
thunderstorm
) , but a translator could hardly be blamed for changing it just a little bit to match the cliché .
it was a dark and stormy night when the last of the fierce competitors arrived not at their destination but at a small village along the amazon river dripping with rain , sweat and tears from the long and difficult battle with the mighty river which pushed them back a meter for every two gained and left them breathless , fatigued and hungry notwithstanding the sumptuous meal they had enjoyed only days before at the way station while still walking the dry portion of their journey but carrying their rafts and supplies prior to plunging into the water only to discover kiman , paranans and head hunters who did stop short of taking their heads but took all their food leaving our intrepid explorers to paddle like mad to reach the next place with salable consumables and more importantly drinkable beer which the famished men consumed straight away prior to plunging ahead only to find that very quickly they were lost in the dark and stormy night .
in once upon a mattress , the minstrel sings that the princess came to the castle
on a stormy night .
he later notes , in correcting this
not quite accurate
version of the fairy tale :
that , of course , is utterly untrue . it didn ' t storm that night at all . in fact , it wasn ' t even night . and the princess only looked as though she ' d come in from a storm .
with your permission it seems likely the best articles will also be published in the iquitos times and possibly even in living in peru . bill has already started working on his dark and stormy night . how about you ? consider writing a post race companion piece . we’ll publish that , add a link , link the two articles together and you will have two link backs to your blog or web site for free .
guarantee the perfect movie night with tickets from fandango . find theater showtimes , watch trailers , read reviews and buy movie tickets in advance .
one chapter of a tale of two cities starts ,
the night was so very sultry . . .
in write this book : a do - it - yourself mystery , pseudonymous bosch begins chapter 5 of the gothic version of the case of the missing author with
it was a dark and stormy night ,
only to recall that it had already been established that it was morning at that point in the story , so it would have to begin another way .
twilight : it was a dark and stormy night . . . spike : it was a completely ordinary day . twilight : spike ! where ' s your sense of adventure and mystery ? a good read never starts with something like that ! spike : i thought we were taking investigative notes and stuff . y ' know . . . non - fiction ? twilight : well . . . you still have readers . and readers ought to be entertained .
defending bulwer - lytton ' s
dark and stormy night
, lytton cobbold said he believed that
to have been the first person to have penned a cliché was a mark of genius
. he said that bulwer - lytton invented a raft of sayings we still use today , including
the pen is mightier than the sword
,
the great unwashed
and
the almighty dollar
.
achewood features a pulp romance novel written by ray : danger at 2 1 / 2 feet . the opening paragraph is shown , a complex mess of purple prose subclauses , shoehorning backstory into every word . the alt - text is it was a dark and raunchy night .
a sub trope of weather report opening . not to be confused with hostile weather or stop motion lighting . thanks to the power of lightning , of course , opening on a stormy night scene or at least featuring one has been a horror trope since universal ' s frankenstein and before .
ravenloft : the night where weathermay - foxgrove sisters first made contact with the shadow fey , which was also their dangerous sixteenth birthday  . gennifer even mentions how such night would have been more fitting to have a fight with the undead or evil mages .
bulwer - lytton has been ridiculed by the contest since 1982 , when rice came up with the idea for a competition to compose the opening sentence to the worst possible novel , inspired by bulwer - lytton ' s notorious
it was a dark and stormy night
. the great bulwer lytton debate will take place in lytton , british columbia on august 30 , and will see scott attempt to show why the opening line is a
literary tragedy
.
what the oak ridge high school drama department does expect is to bring a lot of laughs and a really fun night to their audiences while raising money for the drama department .
on a stormy halloween night , richie is disappointed because he can ' t go trick - or - treating . to make it up , steve , waldo , and the winslow clan cheer him up by weaving a 19th - century tale about the duke of urkel ' s battle against a vampire family , the von winslows .
one of my favorite movies . homage and parody of the old dark house movies , blamire ' s troupe hits it out of the park with this comedy . rewards multiple viewings . a great palate cleanser from the pablum hollywood pushes today . fun , funny , energetic as only a sincere independent film can be , dark and story is a treasure .
this activity is fun and creative and has always worked well for me both with adults and younger students .
the night was old , black , and full of driving cold rain ; the moon and the stars had already passed over the sky . but anyhow they had been hidden since midnight by the low , racing , torn cloud and the flying wetness of small rain and sea - foam and the whipped - off top of standing water . dawn was still far away : from the dark east the mounting wind blew in gusts ; it bore more rain flatlings from the sea .
someone requested a thunderstorm / raining sound with a more haunting feel . something dark . . . and stormy . i thought , ' why not ? ' and came up with this strong thunderstorm with a few surprises along the way . background nature sound effects ( wind , wolves , owls , etc . ) combine with the thunder and rain to set the mood in this 2 hour long virtual thunderstorm sound . from urltoken
the truncated version of the first line of bulwer - lytton ' s 1830 novel paul clifford does not , perhaps , do justice to the full glory of the entire line :
it was a dark and stormy night ; the rain fell in torrents - except at occasional intervals , when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets ( for it is in london that our scene lies ) , rattling along the housetops , and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness .
it was a dark and stormy night . suddenly , a shot rang out ! a door slammed . the maid screamed . suddenly , a pirate ship appeared on the horizon ! while millions of people were starving , the king lived in luxury . meanwhile , on a small farm in kansas , a boy was growing up . part 2 : a light snow was falling , and the little girl with the tattered shawl had not sold a violet all day . at that very moment , a young intern at city hospital was making an important discovery .
stone and rutherford leave avonlea in pursuit of the gems that were being held in a safe in the carmody constable ' s office ; but for some obnoxious reason , they return the next night .
edward bulwer - lytton was three remarkable things , two of which were : an author ; the inventor of such catchy cliches as
the pen is mightier than the sword
,
the great unwashed
and
the pursuit of the almighty dollar
. however he is not remembered for either of these . instead , his legacy is being the man who started a book with
it was a dark and stormy night . . .
that keeps him alive as a multimedia sensation beyond anything he could possibly have imagined — the ur - touchstone for convoluted purple prose and campfire ghost stories .
friends , it’s april already , the race is a few short months away . it’s never too late to have a happy childhood , enjoy and prosper . to those who chose not to oar their way during the race , i say let the worst among you be first , the meek shall inherit the earth ( minus taxes , can you imagine how much that would be ) and never let a good dark and stormy go to waste .
the first ' dark and stormy night ' was conjured up by the english victorian novelist , playwright and politician who rejoiced in the name of sir edward george earle bulwer - lytton , 1st baron lytton . it has become synonymous with the victorian melodramatic style , of which bulwer - lytton ' s many works provide numerous examples . this style has long been out of fashion and considered kitsch and risible . so much so that , since 1982 , an annual bulwer - lytton fiction contest has been sponsored by the english department of san josé state university , california . contestants are required
to compose the opening sentence to the worst of all possible novels
.
it was a wild and stormy night on the west coast of scotland . this , however , is immaterial to the present story , as the scene is not laid in the west of scotland . for the matter of that the weather was just as bad on the east coast of ireland . but the scene of this narrative is laid in the south of england . . .
played out in the style of the old dark house movies from the 30 ' s and 40 ' s , this is an exceptionally well put together tribute with its over the top performances and grainy black and white picture . its also very funny and was clearly made by people who hold the genre dear to their hearts .
on a stormy halloween night , richie is disappointed because he can ' t go trick - or - treating . to make it up , steve , waldo , and the winslow clan cheer him up by weaving a 19th - century tale about the duke of urkel ' s battle against a vampire family , the von winslows . when a halloween - night storm cancels trick - or - treating , urkel cheers up a disappointed richie by playing pass the ghost story . everyone takes turns telling a story about 19th - century vampires ( carl and harriette ) licking their chops over the wayfaring sir steven ( urkel ) .
being a huge fan of movies such as ,
the old dark house
from 1932 , with charles laughton and boris karloff , and
one body too many
from 1944 with bela lugosi , i was anxious to see how the director would pay homage to those films and others in it ' s genre . i found the movie entertaining , with lots of quick witted dialogue , great atmosphere and a respectful spoof of the great classic murder mysteries from the 30 ' s , 40 ' s and 50 ' s . if you are a fan of more recent murder mystery movies with a comedic dark side , such as
clue
,
murder by death
or
the cheap detective
, then you will enjoy this film . the dvd offers the film in both black and white and in color , however , in my opinion , much of the allure and chemistry of the film is lost in the color version . a good film overall and one that i would recommend for anyone looking for a fun little night of murder in an old dark house .
there ' s comfort in over - the - top catharsis of the dependable dark ; whether ' flowers in the attic ' or ' thinner , ' we love knowing what to expect .
i stumbled across this by accident while looking for something to watch on amazon prime one night . i am glad that i did as it has become one of my all time favorite movies . the best parody i have ever seen ( right up there with shaun of the dead and larry blamires other movies ) . this one is a take on the old haunted house / clue style whodunit movies . why it works so well ( in fact much better than clue itself did ) is that it has just the right balance of quirky characters and silliness put into what is otherwise a perfectly serious genre movie ( ie . it never breaks character or has any pop culture references to draw you out of the plot and happenings ) . absolutely great performances from brilliant actors , infinitely quotable , and endlessly fun to rewatch - dark and stormy night is my favorite of larry blamires movies ( although you should definitely watch all of them - they are all great ) , one of my favorite movies period , and at very least deserves for you to check it out .
down - and - out lounge singer johnny slade is hired by a mystery man to open a hot new club , the catch being he ' s given a new - - and terrible - - song to sing each night . noticing that whenever he . . . see full summary »
a strange and mysterious group of strange , mysterious people gathers in the old dark house of the cavinder estate for the reading of the will of the late sinas cavinder . strangest and most mysterious of this group is the unseen psychopathic killer who is psychopathically killing the gatherees one by one .
in the muppet babies episode ,
romancing the weirdo
, gonzo attempts to write a novel . he begins with
it was a hot and steamy night . . . ok , so i left the shower running . sue me .
give each pair of students a story and get them to try to find and correct errors .
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hetty helps gus get a job at the white sands , where he is instructed by percy methley ( who might either be the proprietor or the bellhop ) . at any rate , it appears that methley is working both the day and night shift .
all those involved in the events of the summer of 1816 wrote about their life - changing stay in switzerland . this dramatised documentary is based on their letters , journals and diaries . the film also draws on british library manuscripts and archive , and brings together a stellar cast of gothic , horror and science fiction writers , including neil gaiman , charlaine harris and margaret atwood , to discuss why one single night had such a significant impact on our culture .
what everypony else has written concerning the riot has taken the form of a story . i have spoken to the ponies who were there . i know what truly happened and so you , as a student of the riot , will gain that knowledge . it was a dark and storm - free night . it had taken just about all of his remaining pull with the weather bureau to get that storm postponed . but if ponies were going to be waiting , then they were going to be waiting in the dry .
throw momma from the train begins with larry donner having massive writer ' s block , unable to get past
the night was . . .
he discards such lame words as
foggy
,
hot
, even
moist
. hilarity ensues later when he finds out one of his literature students used the same phrase he did (
the night was humid
) . later , momma picks the perfect word (
the night was sultry
, itself a shout out to a tale of two cities ) which presses larry ' s berserk button and causes him to declare quietly to owen that he ' s getting up
to kill the bitch
.
a bad scientist and wife , a mad scientist and skeleton , two aliens and their escaped pet are all searching for the elusive element
atmospherium
.
with twists and turns and enough ridiculousness to keep any audience member who has sense of humor happy . we were shown this by friends and now . . .
more examples of hetty ' s dramatic transformation emerges as she is caught reading the suspense thriller ,
death rides by night .
the hetty from the first season wouldn ' t have been caught dead reading such a story .
then the weather closes in – a proper meteorological event , a blizzard that closes the airport and blocks the road out over the mountains ( though mrs andri and her new man just make it ) . seyðisfjörður is cut off , no help can get in and there’s a murderer on the loose . then they’re all on the loose , in the snow , in the dark , along with the nigerians and some of the local children . and the torso’s gone ! sorry ladies , just the halibut left .
put the stories up around the class and get the students to read them all and decide which is best .
the students then read through the information and the beginning of the story and then add one more sentence to it .
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about the upper amazon river , the amazon rainforest , iquitos peru , and dawn on the amazon tours and cruises .
the crackpot geniuses behind the lost skeleton of cadavra franchise return again with their biggest and funniest film yet , a lovingly faithful re - creation of those 1930s old - dark - house thrillers , complete with a reading of the will , secret passageways , a hooded killer , wise - cracking reporters and a brooklyn cabbie who just wants his “toity - five cents , ” all presented in glorious black - and - white .
in the historic box factory ( next to gear fix and atlas cider ) located between downtown bend and old mill district .
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perhaps my favourite of nic ' s instruments is the
backwards guitar
, prominent on inverse guitars and it was a dark and stormy night , as well as his earlier records . this employs an ordinary electric guitar , where the electromagnetic pickups are used to
drive
the strings , translating sonic input back into string vibration . the result is most often a shimmering sound , retaining the rhythmic qualities of the source material , but tonally completely altered . on collins ' s side of the split inverse guitars tape , the resulting recordings mix the original sound source ( for example , a baby ' s voice or a computer - looped ron reagan speech ) alongside the delicate rippling sounds that the guitar produces . the technique is inspiringly simple , the results straightforward and effective . one track , like a falling stone , ditches the inverse guitar in favour of a battery of electronically - controlled distortion devices applied to poss ' guitar ; try to imagine a rock soloist trying to cope with 2001 ' s hal at the mixing desk controls .
this issue is a bit stickier in “dark and stormy night , ’’ blamire and friends’ manic throwback to mystery - manor pictures of the ’30s . bantering reporters 8 o’clock farraday ( daniel roebuck , “lost’’ ) and billy tuesday ( jennifer blaire , blamire’s wife ) are among the group that gathers for the reading of a wealthy oldster’s will , hosted by the estate’s upper - crusty heir apparent , burling famish jr . ( howe again ) . cue thunderclaps , blackouts , murders with nary a witness , a fake - gorilla cameo , and a whole lot of bustle — screwball suspense , if you will . a lot of what we hear sounds like something pieced together with one of those fridge - magnet poetry sets . “i was myself once one of you — an idiot , ’’ says resident mystic mrs . cupcupboard ( alison martin ) as she prepares to lead the ensemble in a seance . “the frog of uncertainty danced in my hat , too , as they say . ’’ it’s a fun line , but also a case of the movie pressing so hard it’s a little exhausting . the patter and performances will grow on you , but only after you’ve built some stamina .
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get the students to write the stories up on a computer and the ask them to add more description and detail to the stories .
gus encounters the mysterious amanda stone and is caught in a game of cat and mouse with her pursuer , the villainous robert rutherford .
you have to feel for poor andri in trapped ( bbc4 , saturday ) , even before everything goes wrong . he’s the police chief of seyðisfjörður , a bleak little place at the end of a fjord in the east of iceland . in winter , it’s dark , and flipping freezing . the aftershocks of the 2008 financial crisis are still being felt .
the main focus of this activity is on developing writing skills , but it ' s also good for developing listening speaking and reading skills and also for practising past tenses , descriptive vocabulary and generally having fun .
a hilarious movie , akin to clue , with twists and turns and enough ridiculousness to keep any audience member who has sense of humor happy .
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i really enjoyed this ; it is well written , acted and made . i do not see the point of having a colour version as a choice as anyone likely to watch this will want to do so in monochrome . also a colour version defeats the point of having an old dark house movie send - up . if the film has a flaw it is that the jokes come too thick and fast ; you may need to rewind while to draw breath .
once upon a midnight dreary , while i pondered weak and weary . . .
janet and allan ahlberg created many acclaimed picture books from 1975 to shortly before janet ' s death in 1994 . allan taught for some years before becoming a full - time writer and janet studied graphic design and became an illustrator . each peach pear plum and the jolly christmas postman both won greenaway medals and peepo ! won the best books for babies award in 1985 . allan ahlberg lives in leicestershire .
has disowned the film , and has officially removed his name from the credits .
i am a sucker for any movie set in a big o ' mansion with secret passage ways and lots of guests / people engaged in all sorts of nefarious undertakings . throw in a few crazies and i ' m in heaven . dark and stormy night has some great bits though . i also really liked the ending . i really super enjoyed the being in the locked attic room . not to give anything away but . . . yes ! that was awsome ! during the movie i wanted to strangle some of the characters my self if i could ' ve just found the right secret passage way to their sleeping quarters . talk about annoying ! ! ! ! god ! but that ' s just the point isn ' t it . this is a spoof after all . i don ' t know if i need to buy a copy of the movie . i am glad i rented it . i definitely want to see it one more time but in color this time . enjoy . update : 11 - 29 - 15 i did buy this on dvd so i could see the color version . i am glad i bought it . not just for the color ; i like it in black and white as well . the movie has grown on me now that i have seen it about four times . i like it a lot .


sione 's 2 : unfinished business is a 2012 new zealand comedy film and the sequel to the hugely successful 2006 film sione 's wedding .

it was produced by john barnett and paul davis , directed by simon bennett , co-produced by south pacific pictures and new zealand film commission with music by don mcglashan and written by oscar kightley and james griffin .

the film stars oscar kightley , shimpal lelisi , robbie magasiva , iaheto ah hi , dave fane , teuila blakely , madeleine sami , pua magasiva , mario gaoa , nathaniel lees , david van horn , ayse tezel , dimitri baveas , kirk torrance and te kohe tuhaka .

sione 's 2 : unfinished business was filmed at auckland , new zealand .

the film was theatrically released on january 19 , 2012 , by sony pictures and was released on dvd and blu-ray on june 13 , 2012 , by sony pictures home entertainment .

the film has received mixed reviews from critics and has grossed $ 723,000 in new zealand .

sione ' s 2 : unfinished business

sione ' s wedding star oscar kightley returns for the sequel sione ' s 2 : unfinished business .
madeleine sami and oscar kightley star together in sione ' s 2 : unfinished business .
sione’s 2 unfinished business has taken $ nz1 . 4m in new zealand to date .
sione ' s 2 : unfinished business - behind the scenes ( ft . official trailer )
all black jerome kaino and partner at the sione ' s 2 : unfinished business premiere .
shimpal lelisi , oscar kightley and robbie magasiva star in sione ' s 2 : unfinished business .
sione ' s 2 : unfinished business , the sequel to the kiwi comedy hit of 2006 .
southpacficpics . ( 2011 , october , 24 ) . sione’s 2 unfinished business official trailer . retrieved from urltoken
ayse tezel , who plays maria in sione ' s 2 : unfinished business , arrives at the premiere .
from the new zealand comedy team the naked samoans and south pacific pictures , sione’s 2 : unfinished business is the sequel to sione’s wedding .
oscar kightley , iaheto ah hi and shimpal lelisi star in the sequel to sione ' s wedding , sione ' s 2 : unfinished business .
oscar kightley , who plays albert in sione ' s 2 : unfinished business , strikes a pose at the premiere .
looking for movie tickets ? enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing sione ' s 2 : unfinished business near you .
the antics have been taken up a notch but not for the better in sione ' s 2 : unfinished business . photo / supplied
sione ' s 2 : unfinished business , the sequel to new zealand ' s blockbuster film sione ' s wedding is coming to a cinema near you - january 19 , 2012 .
not funny : sione ' s 2 : unfinished business misses the mark . from left , shimpal lelisi , oscar kightley and robbie magasvia .
sione ' s wedding 2 : unfinished business , written by james griffen and oscar kightley , will be showing in cinemas from january 19 .
sione ' s 2 : unfinished business is the film sequel to the new zealand box office smash hit sione ' s wedding - coming to a cinema near you on january 19 , 2012 .
robbie magasiva , who plays michael in sione ' s 2 : unfinished business , arrives with his family at the premiere at st lukes cinemas in auckland .
what : sione ' s 2 : unfinished business , the sequel to hit local film sione ' s wedding ( 2006 ) when : opens january 19 . sione ' s wedding is also screening on tv3 this sunday at 8 . 55pm
sione’s wedding ( 2005 ) was the first pacific island - themed film to do extremely well at the local box office . it was followed by the sequel sione’s 2 : unfinished business in 2012 .
movie sequels are a rare thing in new zealand , but the duckrockers of sione ' s 2 : unfinished business are back and making up for lost time .
they ' re back ! 5 years older but are they wiser ? from the producers of sione ' s wedding comes sione ' s 2 : unfinished business . in cinemas january 19 , 2012 . urltoken
back on screen : david fane , iaheto ah hi , robbie magasiva , oscar kightley and shimpal lelisi , the cast of sione ' s 2 : unfinished business .
the stars walked the red carpet in auckland last night for the world premiere of sione ' s 2 : unfinished business , the sequel to one of new zealand ' s biggest box office hits , sione ' s wedding .
it ' s one of the most quoted lines of the first instalment of sione ' s wedding and it ' s more of these lines that audiences can expect to be in stitches over when sione ' s 2 : unfinished business opens in cinemas this week .
sione ' s wedding 2 : unfinished business is written by james griffin and oscar kightley , who wrote sione’s wedding and will be directed by simon bennett , who has a number of awards for his tv direction , including outrageous fortune .
before establishing libertine pictures , paul was a freelance producer and executive producer , with credits including sione’s wedding , the tattooist , we’re here to help , my wedding and other secrets , sione’s 2 : unfinished business and the last ocean .
the linguistic feature addressed in sione’s wedding is when the duck - rockers refer to themselves as boys rather than men . whereas in sione’s 2 unfinished business one of the duck - rockers announces that paul is god and not google maps .
sione’s 2 : unfinished business ( pictured ) was the most successful domestic theatrical release earning it the number 10 spot on the all - time new zealand box office list of nzfc supported films .
returning to the familiar surrounds of grey lynn , as sione ' s 2 : unfinished business begins , they ' re brought back together by a tragedy , and their minister sends them on another quest .
it ' s not often a film succeeds in insulting its own cast . sione ' s 2 does just that .
magasiva , 38 is looking forward to sione ' s wedding 2 , which starts filming in april .
sure , it tries hard to move things on from the wedding - themed first movie but unfinished business lacks the spark and the smarts of sione ' s wedding . it ' s no honeymoon .
sure , it tries hard to move things on from the wedding - themed first movie but unfinished business lacks the spark and the smarts of sione ' s wedding . it ' s no honeymoon .
oscar kightley , shimpal lelisi , robbie magasiva and jerome leota filming sione ' s wedding 2 . photo / doug sherring
giveaway : the western leader has a double pass to see sione ' s 2 : unfinished business to give away . to enter , email your name and phone number to edwl @ urltoken with sione ' s 2 in the subject line . or send it to the editor , po box 21 - 167 , henderson , to arrive by 9am , january 24 .
from left , sione ' s 2 stars robbie magasiva , shimpal lelisi , oscar kightley , dave fane and laheto ah hi . photo / supplied
now the law has passed , production will begin on the rebooted first movie of the sione series , sione ' s gay wedding .
double trouble : a sequel to sione ' s wedding will start shooting soon .
, it’s hard to escape the conclusion that they’re talking about box office , rather than funny business .
essentially , sione ' s 2 becomes a quest movie , sending the boys off on a mission designed to show that they ' ve finally grown up .
sione ' s 2 won ' t and never could have attained quite that status , but seen on its own merits , it proves worth the wait .
teuila blakely began her tv career presenting c4’s live music show freestyle , before landing an extended role on shortland street . blakely has shown her versatility by appearing in comedy shows ( bro’town , radiradirah and funny girls ) , dramatic series ( this is not my life ) and films ( sione’s wedding and sione’s 2 : unfinished business ) . she also made a splash as a contestant on dancing with the stars . in this screentalk , blakely talks about :
both films were shot around inner - city auckland , with sione ' s 2 showcasing the auckland cbd ' s st kevins arcade , karangahape rd , ponsonby rd and the grey lynn area .
shooting will start soon on a sequel to hit kiwi comedy film sione ' s wedding .
the film stars james rolleston ( boy , the dark horse ) , lawrence makoare ( die another day , lord of the rings : return of the king ) , te kohe tuhaka ( sione ' s 2 : unfinished business ) , george henare ( once were warriors ) , xavier horan ( dean spanley ) and rena owen ( once were warriors ) .
the first film was a breath of fresh air for the new zealand comedy film scene and while sione’s 2 continues the positive momentum it doesn’t improve on the first film and should have been funnier given its hugely talented cast . ultimately , though , sione’s 2 is local , laugh - out - loud comedy at its best . definitely worth seeing .
art & business dude brian steele shows us a world of opportunity beyond traditional funding channels .
. . . & amp ; da oscar 4 best film goes 2 - siones 2 [ nek minute ! ] oooooh wat a dream i just had . . . . .
* are you keen to see a second sione ' s wedding film ? post your comments below .
i hope it ' s as good as sione ' s 1 - but the jokes in this trailer are a bit lame . . .
cinema - goers will face a mobile phone ban and the scrutiny of security guards at the premiere of sione ' s wedding 2 , the sequel to the hugely popular local release that was undermined by piracy problems .
also new are sione’s 2 : unfinished business , which should look sensational on blu - ray judging from its hd trailer on other releases ; the vow ( “a fantastic transfer , with an image that’s crystal clear but still retains a nice cinematic appearance ) ; blackthorn ( “ looks great on blu - ray if still displaying smidgeon of the waxiness of the hd camera used” ) ; and the direct - to - disc the aggression scale ( “ incredibly crisp and very well defined” ) .
choose 1 of 2 free * posters with ticket purchase ( * shipping & handling not included ) . buy tickets
the first single from the sione ' s 2 : unfinished business official soundtrack . single available now on itunes : urltoken producer & director : olivia laita ( getgood . co . nz ) shot by & dop : askew one ( askew1 . com ) edit & effects : haimona ngata ( haimonangata . com ) production assistant : brendan kitto ( route52 . co . nz ) lighting : askew one hairstylist : lina rose make - up : hiria faofua thanks to ria courtesy of m4u records .
a film set in auckland ' s pacific island community wouldn ' t be complete without a pumping soundtrack , and the sione ' s 2 : unfinished business soundtrack fits the bill , diving into our deep well of local urban and hip - hop music . featuring a swag of dawn raid and frequency media group artists such as savage , mareko , home brew , david dallas , pnc , p - money , vince harder and more , it cements the sense of place for audiences , and informs the film with a certain rhythm .
auckland mayor len brown and his daughter olivia on the red carpet at the premiere for the sequel to sione ' s wedding .
pua magasiva , who stars as sione , and his partner at the red carpet event .
but auckland looks amazing on the screen ,
magasiva points out .
because we ' re having such a rubbish summer , go and see sione ' s 2 to see what an auckland summer looks like , just to remind yourself .
the sequel to the sione ' s wedding picks up five years after the original and sees the gang getting into more hilarious hijinks .
sione ' s wedding - new zealand ' s fifith highest - grossing film - was released in 2006 and starred oscar kightley , madeleine sami , david fane and robbie magasiva .
joint managing director paul davis has been involved in international film sales and marketing since 1984 . he is an experienced film marketer and producer , with credits including sione’s wedding , the tattooist , we’re here to help , my wedding and other secrets , sione’s 2 : unfinished business and the last ocean . creative director neil cross is an internationally - acclaimed screenwriter and novelist , whose work includes the multi - award - winning bbc crime thriller luther , starring idris elba , the international hit film mama , and the bbc spy drama spooks . neil is based in new zealand and writes for the screen in both britain and the united states . for more information visit : urltoken
the dead lands stars james rolleston , now aged 16 and last seen as the 11 - year - old star of the nz box office hit boy ( 2010 ) and lawrence makoare ( die another day , lord of the rings : return of the king ) . it also stars te kohe tuhaka ( sione’s 2 : unfinished business ) , xavier horan ( dean spanley ) , george henare ( once were warriors ) and rena owen ( once were warriors ) . former kiwis and auckland warriors rugby league star wairangi koopu makes his acting debut .
so an example of feminism for sione’s 2 unfinished business is the ladies who sefa think are drag queens may not be drag queens at all and might not want to be categorised as such . because of some samoan men just wanting to have sex with samoan ladies and not realising they have feelings to , because of what they see on television ladies as naked sex symbols who are only on earth to full - fill their every desires . their desires would include wanting them to have an experience of giving birth to 6 or 7 children maybe .
when samoan - born magasiva looks back on the year , he says his highlight was reprising his role as michael in the sequel to sione ' s wedding in sione ' s 2 : unfinished business .
catching up with the boys and filming sione ' s 2 ,
was the funniest moment of the year , says magasiva .
they really are hilarious to hang out with and make every day working on the film nothing like work at all .
magasiva also took on one of the ' ' greatest roles in theatre ' ' when he starred in the jesse peach production of othello . no word whether either of the roles were responsible for magasiva ' s response to if he has been naughty or nice this year :
50 / 50
, he says . after what appears to be an action - packed year , magasiva is looking forward to hitting the beach this summer .
[ i plan to ] get out in to the surf . . . a lot ,
he says . his favourite spot ?
it ' s not a secret anymore but shipwreck bay is my favourite surf spot .
it ' s a passion which has obviously translated over to his daughter who is also a keen surfer . when asked what ' s the best present he ' s ever given , he says :
my daughter says it was a surfboard i gave her , she loves it !
. no word on whether the one secret fact he shared about himself is also hereditary though .
i can ' t cook to save myself . cleaning i ' m great at , cooking . . . not so much !
* sione ' s 2 : unfinished business is released in cinemas january 19th .
men on a mission : despite the five years that elapsed since sione ' s wedding , the boys still haven ' t quite grown up .
despite a somewhat darker plot , it retains the resolutely cheerful , upbeat tone of sione the first .
sione ' s wedding , filmed in 2006 , was new zealand ' s fifth highest grossing movie , a fact magasiva believes is owed to the chemistry he and the naked samoans already had .
sione’s 2 is an entertaining film incorporative of a humour that is both slapstick and yet very familiar to kiwi audiences . international crowds will like the film due to the banter the boys use and with great shots of the auckland location , many will appreciate the simplicity of the story .
men on a mission : despite the five years that have elapsed since sione ' s wedding , the boys still haven ' t quite grown up .
the film industry locally was burned quite badly with sione ' s wedding , which was obviously a huge hit here . so it ' s definitely a concern for the local industry too .
sione ' s 2 unfinished business is the sequel to the 2006 film sione ' s wedding . i saw this film at its recent premiere in auckland and all i have to say is that this film tries to set itself up as something like ' the blues brothers ' with the whole ' we ' re on a mission from god ' schtick when its really the equivalent of ' dude where ' s my car ' with david fane playing the missing car . i think film makers were more concerned with trying to avoid leaking this film to the internet rather than writing a quality script . terrible film please avoid . new zealand films can do so much better than this trainwreck . its shame really with all of the excellent talent here being wasted like this . two out of ten .
didn’t quite make the economic or cultural impact expected . one school of thought blames piracy for the former , but the latter is more readily explained by the film doing merely an average job at charting overly familiar comedic territory ( albeit with a polynesian auckland twist ) . so what’s this ‘unfinished business’ referred to in the title of its sequel then ? upon seeing
the cast of hit movie sione ' s wedding have given their families and friends in samoa an excellent start to the year with a red carpet premiere of their new sequel sione ' s 2 : unfinished business . it has been five years since they were last in apia and the duckrockers were welcomed back with open arms . a little bit of rain on the siones’ parade did nothing to dampen the spirits as the cast arrived on the wet tarmac to a warm samoan welcome , samoa is home to many of them and essentially the spiritual home of the sione ' s story itself and bringing their new film back country was a humbling experience . “it was quite overwhelming getting off the plane to the welcome , seeing the dancers and the chief , ” says robbie magasiva . after the huge success of sione ' s wedding , the boys return to the big screen with a very different story and a different kind of quest . “it’s not just a film about a group of polynesian boys being silly . we’re trying to tell stories about what it’s like living in new zealand and we hope those stories resonate with everybody in new zealand , ” says oscar kightley .
campbell walker said of his films : ‘most people … make movies about the kind of events that change people ' s lives . my films are about events that can spoil your week . ’ 2
in particular , they ' re duty - bound to seek out their missing friend paul ( dave fane ) , who seemingly blames himself for sione ' s death .
it ' s been five years since those duckrockers were told to grow up and find girlfriends to bring to sione ' s wedding . and when we left them , it seemed they ' d made a promising start .
of course , they haven ' t quite . one of the appeals of sione ' s 2 is that the entire core cast have returned , and we know their characters so well : nerdy albert ( kightley ) , pants - man michael ( robbie magasiva ) , drunk sefa ( shimpal lelisi ) , impressionable stanley ( iaheto ah hi ) and dave fane ' s otherworldly bolo .
it ' s been six years since the cheeky stars of hit kiwi film sione ' s wedding had us in stitches , and next week they return in a sequel . lydia jenkin asks what brought them back for another chapter ?
after i paid for my ticket to today ' s film , sione ' s 2 , it struck me that i was about to see a rare commodity in nz cinema , a sequel . i , like many others , thoroughly enjoyed sione ' s wedding . though not perfect , the comedy was fresh , and whilst the culture was primarily samoan , it felt quintessentially kiwi . with the knowledge that the new instalment was in the can , i , along with three hundred thousand other kiwis re - watched the first film when it recently screened on new zealand television .
toa fraser ( giselle , dean spanley , no . 2 ) directs from a script by glenn standring ( perfect creature , the irrefutable truth about demons ) .
a personal experience for me is being at my first ever wedding this year for sione’s wedding and for sione’s 2 unfinished business it was an experience where my mother was worried about me as i had not turned up at the place she wanted me to after school one day as i was 11 years old . so what she did was phone the staff at my intermediate school to see if they could find me but they could not . as i thought i had missed my bus to halsey drive primary school i took a car ride with a friends mum who eventually phoned my mother to tell her i was fine to send me home so she could have grounded me for it but she did not and i have not done that since . i have not done it since as i see now it would be a stupid idea as i have grown up a lot since then .
the other challenge of a five - year gap is the anticipation involved . sione ' s wedding , fresh , genuinely funny and innovative , was something special in new zealand cinema .
the other challenge of a five - year gap is the anticipation involved . sione ' s wedding , fresh , genuinely funny and innovative , was something special in new zealand cinema .
based in auckland and wellington , libertine pictures was formed last year by internationally experienced film makers , with backing from the new zealand film commission’s new business development scheme , to produce feature film and television for audiences here and internationally .
we estimate china only makes $ 8 . 46 from an iphone – and that’s why trump’s trade war is futile
backed with music from kiwi legends dawn raid and don mcglashan , simon bennett directs a pleasant film that is comparatively effective like its predecessor sione’s wedding . i give it 3 out 5 .
when it hit cinemas in 2006 , sione ' s wedding had the biggest opening weekend of any nz film and went on to become the third highest - grossing kiwi film of all time .
south pacific pictures head of publicity tamar munch said this was routine for a premiere and the strict rules were not a reaction to the piracy problems experienced when sione ' s wedding was released .
the boys ' mission may well be a chance for them to grow up but when everything is finally resolved it ' s fairly clear they have just donned the illusion of respectability and responsibility . deep down they are waiting for sione ' s 3 .
and then there ' s stan , played by iaheto ah hi , who ' s on the hunt for love and purpose so he ' s turned to god for guidance .
sione ' s 2 unfinished business is a hilarious installment to classic nz comedies , with its famous nz actors and jokes that make you think for a second instead of screaming the obvious . this is highly enjoyable and has quite a twist for fans of the first movie that you don ' t see coming . the acting is quite believable and has spot on reactions and emotions . this movie does what it is supposed to make you laugh , make you somewhat emotional at some parts and makes you sometime uncomfortable haha . this movie may not be very popular but don ' t be discouraged go see it , it is good , but you may need to see the first movie sione ' s wedding to understand the character development , all - round development of the movie and the humor that refers to the first . like i said before only watch if you like the first movie or if you like and understand nz comedy ! ! ! 10 / 10
the english language has operated as a language in these movies as a way of getting these characters a better education than in samoa . as well as a tool of of influence by getting the samoan community to understand this language a little better by speaking it the whole way through the two trailers . an example of this is when michael hears this word bitch - cakes for the first time in his life said by derek who understands what it means i think and he does not . so this is necessarily what bitch - cakes means : it means to flip out or go a bit nuts , or to rant about something . when i was watching this movie the first time i had not heard of this word either like michael in sione’s 2 unfinished business .
sione & # x27 ; s 2 unfinished business is a hilarious installment to classic nzcomedies , with its famous nz actors and jokes that make you think for asecond instead of screaming the obvious . this is highly enjoyable andhas quite a twist for fans of the first movie that you don & # x27 ; t seecoming . the acting is quite believable and has spot on reactions andemotions . this movie does what it is supposed to make you laugh , makeyou somewhat emotional at some parts and makes you sometimeuncomfortable haha . this movie may not be very popular but don & # x27 ; t bediscouraged go see it , it is good , but you may need to see the firstmovie sione & # x27 ; s wedding to understand the character development , all - round development of the movie and the humor that refers to thefirst . like i said before only watch if you like the first movie or ifyou like and understand nz comedy ! ! ! 10 / 10
geoff steven’s strata ( 1983 ) , an existential drama filmed on the north island’s atmospheric central plateau and volcanic white island .
the urltoken office awards have been handed out at the australian international movie convention on the gold coast with the avengers predictably taking several awards while icon ' s campaign for a few best men was recognised as the best marketing campaign . the winners were : highest grossing foreign language film : the women on the 6th floor with $ 2 . 02 million ( palace films ) highest grossing australian film : red dog with $ 21 . 46 million ( roadshow ) highest grossing film in new zealand : the avengers with more than $ nz8 million ( disney ) rentrak highest grossing new zealand film : sione ' s 2 : unfinished business reald 3d award for highest grossing 3d film : the avengers with $ 53 . 25 million ( disney ) coca - cola gold award for highest grossing film in australia : the avengers with $ 53 . 25 million ( disney ) the winner of the news limited movie marketer of the year award was icon films for local film a few best men . icon films marketing director , lisa garner , accepted a novelty
this new film is set a few years after sione ' s wedding and although the guys have done some growing up they are still fairly uncommitted grey lynn boys who haven’t really got their acts together .
almost six years after sione ' s wedding took kiwi film fans by surprise , writers james griffin and oscar kightley put pen to paper once more , even though they initially tried to fight the idea .
in the five years since sione ' s wedding , the duckrocker quartet have experienced marriage , children , australians and the good lord . then their minister reunites them on a quest to find bolo ( dave fane ) — once their driver and conscience , now mia . the sequel to the break - through pi - kiwi hit reunites the original cast , and adds in a dodgy minister ( kirk torrance ) and a new director ( outrageous fortune ' s simon bennett ) . on the burden of following wedding , urltoken reviewer steve kilgallon adjudged :
seen on its own merits , it [ sione ' s 2 ] proves worth the wait
.
the screening of sione ' s wedding on telly the other night might have been part of the launchpad for this belated sequel to the 2005 local box office champ . but it was also a telling reminder .
for the theme of traditional whenever their was a problem to be solved in the samoan community in both movies everyone would consult the priest like him telling the duck rockers that they were banned from sione’s wedding .
alyx duncan’s the red house ( 2012 ) , a highly distinctive romantic drama in which the director’s parents play the lead characters .
john barnett ( ceo of south pacific pictures , which funded the film along with tv3 , and the nz film commission which pitched in $ 2 . 5 million ) , has always been keen on the sequel . sione ' s wedding broke box office records , and despite a piracy problem still took more than $ 4 million in new zealand cinemas , making it our fifth highest - grossing film .
writers james griffin and oscar kightley first proposed a sequel to sione ' s wedding back in 2006 but , despite the landmark success of that movie , nearly six years have now passed since the original was released .
sefa and leilani have had two kids , been engaged for five years , and sefa ' s business is struggling . despite this , leilani seems happy and balanced - she ' s stopped hitting sefa , spends a lot of time with her personal trainer , and
smiles all the time
, which has sefa a bit suspicious .
anna and robbie ' s favourite restaurant is kura , in queen street , auckland , but if it ' s raining home is no1 .
luscious leggy ladies in white cloche swimming caps and blood - red smiles , the whbs are inspired by the charming and spectacular aquacades of early cinema’s delightful 1930s and 1940s era , and the kaleidoscopic designs of hollywood movie director and water musical choreographer , busby berkeley . the wet hot beauties community gathers afresh each auckland summer to learn a new skill and to create a quirky new art form – the contemporary water ballet . it’s physical , it’s challenging . it’s theatrical , it’s unique . it’s glamorous and classy – but most of all – it’s fun and it’s cool .
richard worked at the new zealand film commission for three years as head of business affairs . films financed by the commission during that time included whale rider , in my father’s den and rain . before this he worked in distribution in australia for beyond films and the uk for the feature film company .
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with the characters already established from the first film , there’s little that sione ' s 2 needs to do but jump straight into the story and get the jokes flowing but , like its predecessor , the film applies the blueprint of mainstream hollywood . when the strength of your cast lies in its comedy potential , this is what needs the most screen time , rather than dramatic elements that have predictable twists and turns . better to have the most perfunctory narrative than the laboured effort that shows up here and focus on the gags .
the scarecrow ( 1982 ) , sam pillsbury’s adaptation , co - written with michael heath , of ronald hugh morrieson’s gothic novel , was the first new zealand film selected to screen in the director’s fortnight at cannes . vigil ( 1984 ) , vincent ward’s striking , expressionistic depiction of a young country girl’s coming of age , was the first to screen in competition at cannes .
about day tripper films day tripper films is a uk film production company backed by ingenious media . ingenious is a market - leading financial services group providing investment and advisory expertise and is the uk’s largest independent investor in the country’s creative industries . films and television productions supported by ingenious in the past include : avatar , life of pi , the best exotic marigold hotel , doc martin and foyle’s war . most recently , ingenious backed the fall ( bbc 2’s most watched drama ) and the heat ( starring sandra bullock and melissa mccarthy ) .
mobile phones had to be handed in before the movie and security guards watched the crowds to avoid a repeat of the problems sione ' s wedding faced , when a pirated copy of the movie circulated before it was released , damaging the box office takings .
sole and urltoken are names that were given to albert by derek as his street name and his work name as a way of telling him that he is in derek’s neighbourhood . albert does not like these names at all especially sole - man which derek refers to him as at work which makes him feel inferior to derek because he is a white man . when derek and albert have a fight over tania albert wants to prove derek wrong about him being a coward because he can’t even ask her out to sione’s wedding which is coming up soon for him . sione in albert wendt’s book son’s for the return home does not stay a coward for long after a disastrous time at sarah’s friends party as he meets up with him later to beat him up in a rest room at a bar in auckland . that was a second example for racism . which albert does do in sione’s wedding so in that respect the english language is empowering as it is a language derek and his home boys can understand .
the kiwi comedy hit of 2006 , sione ' s wedding made less of a splash on this side of the pond . confirmed fans as well as newcomers may be taken aback by the grim starting point of the sequel , directed by simon bennett : family man sione drops dead on a basketball court , leaving his mates - the same bumbling polynesian bros who appeared in the first film - to tidy up any loose ends before his funeral .
i ask him about working with oscar kightley who wrote and acted beside magasiva in sione ' s wedding and was a co - member of naked samoans , an all - polynesian comedy group that has made its mark in theatre , tv and film since 1998 .
ozon ' s provocative film can do much to improve attitudes towards lgbti people .
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at the next new zealand film awards it will be surprising if alert taxis is not entered in best supporting role for its involvement in the sequel to sione ' s wedding . the cab company vehicles make a number of appearances , including conveying the heroes around town .
fast - forward five years and things haven’t quite gone as the boys might have planned : albert is now married to tania and they are living in suburbia , both working in insurance and also trying ( unsuccessfully ) to have a baby ; sefa and leilani are still together and now have two kids although despite sefa’s proposal , they’re still not married . and while sefa’s business is falling apart , leilani seems to be living life to the full ; stanley is now a trainee deacon in the future church ; michael has moved to australia but the boys don’t hear from him often ; and bolo has thrown in his job with sefa and taken up work with sione , michael’s younger brother .
he ' s not in his publicist ' s office when i arrive at the shortland street location , and she fears he might have snuck out the back door .
it ' s the familiarity of the characters that wins over audiences , he says .
» check out auckland now on monday for photos from the film ' s premiere .
' this is love ' is accompanied by the st . joseph ' s gospel choir
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the audience will also be watched by security guards in the theatre ' s aisles .
the latest instalment finds the friends - played by kightley , robbie magasiva , shimpal lelisi , iaheto ah hi and dave fane - five years on from sione ' s wedding , with life not quite as figured out as they might have thought . as the movie ' s tagline says :
they ' re five years older , but are they any wiser ?
he ' s at a bit of a low point really , and the duckrockers are spread wide and don ' t hang out as much as they did ,
lelisi explains .
michael ' s overseas , albert ' s on the north shore , so sefa ' s been getting tight with stanley more than anyone i think .
he ' s spent a lot of time running away ,
magasiva laughs .
but yeah , now he ' s fallen in love for the first time .
when we released sione ' s wedding cellphones weren ' t that flash . . . so it wasn ' t a problem then . the piracy problems were with regard to somebody stealing a copy of the film from the post - production house . it was quite a separate incident .
albert ( co - writer oscar kightley ) and tania ( madeleine sami ) are now happily married , but can ' t quiet seal the deal with a baby . whilst sefa ( shimpal lelisi ) and leilani ( teuila blakely ) have got two kids , they aren ' t married despite sefa ' s proposal . stanley ( iaheto ah hi ) is now a trainee deacon in the future church , michael ( robbie magasiva ) has moved to australia , and bolo ditched his job with sefa’s failing business to work for sione . as adulthood drives them apart , a crisis brings them back together : when bolo disappears , the minister ( nathaniel lees ) gathers up the boys to find him , somewhere , in the world’s largest polynesian city - auckalangi . hide
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roger donaldson’s tense relationship drama smash palace ( 1981 ) was another early 1980s critical and popular success . the new york times selected it as one of the year’s 10 best films .
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the main problem with the film is that it is lighter on laughs than the first one , mostly due to the much darker plot , but also due to the fact that the first film was such a fresh , unique new zealand comedy made with an audience in mind . while sione’s 2 hits that same tone it doesn’t feel nearly as fresh or laugh - out - loud funny as it should , particularly given the comedic exploits of some of its stars in the period between films ( notably madeleine sami with supercity and david fane in outrageous fortune and love birds ) .
editor of thereelbits . you can see richard ' s unfiltered train of thought on twitter @ dvdbits . richard ' s first book , moving target : the history and evolution of green arrow
stars : 2 . 5 / 5 cast : robbie magasiva , shimpal lelisi , oscar kightley , dave fane , iaheto ah hi director : simon bennett rating : m ( sex scenes & offensive language ) running time : 92 mins verdict : not as funny etc etc . . .
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cultural identity theme shows up in sione’s wedding especially when albert discovers that derek identifies himself as being a samoan when he says “albert is in the fale” . then albert replies by saying “speak your own language derek” which translates to me as stop identifying yourself as samoan your skin is white you would not last a week in samoa .
he ' s done this before , apparently , but he gets forgiven , because of his charm .
it turns out he ' s been on set filming shortland street , so he ' s not in trouble , but trouble may be something this larger - than - life character gets into a lot .
the trailer is a bit sparse because it ' s deliberately not giving away the story . . .
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local offices of large american production houses said south pacific ' s rules for the premiere were tame .
- it ' s a kind of a birthday present ( 2011 ) . . . just friends woman
a major search begins this week for new zealand ' s undiscovered writing talent . big break is a new initiative launched by film company libertine pictures . it ' s an open invitation to all writers to pitch
it’s been five years since the duckrockers found girlfriends to take to sione’s wedding and the boys find themselves a little isolated from each other . michael ( robbie magasiva ) has moved over to australia , albert ( oscar knightley ) has married tania ( madeleine sami ) and bought a house on the north shore , sefa ( shimpal lelisi ) has a couple of kids and stanley ( iaheto ah hi ) is a trainee deacon in the future church .
it ' s five years on . he ' s still with leilani , they ' ve got two kids and they ' ve had the longest engagement in the history of the world ,
he says .
oscar kightley ' s a dick !
he says , with high emphasis on the last word .
magasiva ' s mother has stayed in new zealand , and travels back and forth to visit her husband .
the successful 48hours film - making competition , which began in auckland in 2003 , was a driver behind ant timpson’s make my movie competition . the first film produced through this was dean hewison’s comedy how to meet girls from a distance ( 2012 ) . the new zealand film commission’s ‘escalator’ initiative similarly supported low - budget feature films .
nadya was a strategic business consultant to the new zealand book council following an early career in newspaper journalism in new zealand , a decade in book publishing in london and several years as a communications consultant back in wellington . at pan macmillan in the uk , she was responsible for marketing the picador list for many years and was marketing director for the group for four years . her publishing experience spans the literary and the commercial , from don de lillo , cormac mccarthy , colm toibin , john banville , michael ondaatje’s the english patient and alice sebold’s the lovely bones to international hits including bridget jones’s diary and the novels of jackie collins , ken follett , james herbert and wilbur smith .
my mum can cook , she ' s a mean cook , man i love her chicken curries .
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the boys are back ! five years older , but are they any wiser ? since sione ' s wedding five years ago , things haven ' t gone quite as the boys might have planned . growing up appears to be driving the duckrockers apart . but when they ' re confronted with one of life ' s unexpected turns and bolo goes missing , their minister once again brings them together and sends them on a quest . their mission : to find bolo . 2011 south pacific pictures ltd .
five years ago our heroes the duckrockers thought they had figured it all out – they had found themselves girlfriends to take to sione’s wedding and the future was looking bright . fast - forward five years and things haven’t quite gone as the boys might have planned . growing up appears to be driving the duckrockers apart but when they’re confronted with one of life’s unexpected turns and bolo goes missing , their minister once again brings them together and sends them on a quest . their mission : to find bolo .
nah kids , jokes . he ' s a very clever man our oscar kightley , very , very clever .
audiences are rejecting this summer’s procession of tired sequels , and international grosses won’t be enough to keep studios afloat forever .
jack welsh acquired ted coubray ' s camera equipment and perfected his own sound - on - film system . he used this on new zealand ' s first film with sound , down on the farm ( 1935 ) . welsh recorded sound on two more films , the wagon and the star and phar lap ' s son ? ( both 1936 ) .
back from 20 years in hollywood , sleeping dogs director roger donaldson wrote , directed and produced the world’s fastest indian ( 2005 ) , telling the story of invercargill motorbike enthusiast burt munro who broke the land speed world record at utah’s bonneville salt flats . with british actor anthony hopkins in the lead role , it became new zealand’s highest grossing film to date .
there ' s an accent , there ' s a central auckland brown accent , and a rhythm of speech and a carriage , which is different to south auckland polynesians and west auckland polynesians . you can tell ,
he laughs .
“there’s no black crush , not even a bit of aliasing , and no sign of the hefty grain being tampered with .
kiwi male culture , reflecting the macho take on new zealand’s history that continues to pervade the way the country perceives itself .
it was burgers and bubbles for the hundreds of moviegoers at the premiere , held at st luke ' s event cinemas .
we allocate money to career and script development , short films , low - budget films , production funding , post production and film finishing grants . we also administer both the screen production incentive fund ( on behalf of the ministry for culture and heritage ) , and the large budget screen production grant ( on behalf of the ministry of business , innovation and employment ) at the top end .
tanu and steve were always quite close . they ' re kind of the real men . steve loves the bush . he ' s inherited the bushness from tanupua and tanu is always good with his hands . he ' s a builder .
in 1980 sons for the return home ( 1979 ) and geoff murphy ' s second feature goodbye pork pie ( 1980 ) screened at the prestigious cannes film festival in france , securing new zealand feature film’s place on the global film - makers’ map .
the 17 - year - old white fern says women ' s cricket has come a long way in terms of equal pay .
meaning you ' ll need to track it down , and be aware of it around the limited time it ' s shown .
the dark horse ( 2014 ) , james napier robertson ' s powerful film which tackled issues of mental illness and gang culture .
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six years ago , sione ' s wedding was a deservedly popular film . it had wit , a couple of genuinely funny and inventive moments , and a ripper soundtrack . the leads were all energetic and / or attractive , the writing was unashamedly contrived , and the film wore its massive heart on its sleeve with real conviction . it sure wasn ' t perfect , but we loved it . and quite right too .
but , nah . what was fun and subversive has become mean spirited , tasteless , and reactive . sione ' s wedding had a good time turning the stereotypes upside down . this film is happy to chase a few cheap laughs with portrayals of child - like polynesian men , always on the verge of alcohol fuelled violence , acting out a story without a plot , a soul , or any particular reason to exist .
a copy of the original film was stolen by an employee at digital post . dvds of the feature were burned and sold in south auckland markets a month before it was released in theatres . sione ' s wedding became the third - highest grossing new zealand film , but the producers believe the theft and illegal distribution cost investors $ 500 , 000 , with around $ 300 , 000 of that figure coming from lost box office sales .
it ' s a joke any aucklander will appreciate but which may be lost in the provinces and completely meaningless to viewers further afield .
it ' s still a comedy , and there ' s hijinks and mishaps aplenty , but the boys are all nearing middle age and the film has a noticeably darker undertone than its hit predecessor , dealing with infidelity , mortality , family ties , reputations and friendship .