In Cinemas: November 1 - 7

CURRENT RELEASES:

* BAIT 3D is a really enjoyable balance of intentional trash, unintentional trash and a surprisingly decent situation. Starring the dude from THE LOVED ONES, one of the CHRONICLE kids and that guy from NIP/TUCK, it's the ridiculous turn from Dan Wyllie (ANIMAL KINGDOM, CHOPPER and THE HUNTER) that you need to watch out for. If there's one Australian robbery-turned-tsunami-turned-shark-attack film you need to see in 3D this year...

* Make My Movie winner HOW TO MEET GIRLS FROM A DISTANCE finally makes it back from NZFF! It's a "peeping-tom rom-com" that sees our hero stalk the girl he's crushing on, to ensure that he's properly prepared to win her over. Darren over at TVNZ called it "highly amusing, utterly rewarding and a totally unmissable experience" (on the poster and here) and it apparently includes an "utterly brilliant" turn from Jonathan Brough. But then, he has always been superb:

* New Zealand documentary TĀTARAKIHI: THE CHILDREN OF PARIHAKA (NZFF 2012) is back in Rialto's e-cinema (plus has a $10 Film-Talk screening with director Paora Joseph 6 PM Friday). Forty kids take a bus-trip retracing the journey their ancestors were forced to make 130 years ago, when they were taken from their Taranaki village and locked up without trial.

* The guy who made THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS, xXx and the third MUMMY flick has now made a Tyler Perry action movie, which has Matthew Fox from LOST as the baddie! I only mention ALEX CROSS because somehow it also features Jean Reno, John C. McGinley, Edward Burns and Gus Fring?

* Financial thriller ARBITRAGE opens everywhere this week and seems to be doing pretty well over at Rotten Tomatoes, despite Richard Gere's face giving the poster a direct-to-DVD vibe (I do like seeing Susan Sarandon, Tim Roth and Brit Marling in the cast list, though); Event has a quirky new Hindi comedy about a lost family recipe called LUV SHUV TEY CHICKEN KHURANA; there are yet more sly early sessions of THE SESSIONS; The latest three-hour Met Opera - L'ELISIR D'AMORE - begins this week at Rialto Newmarket and Bridgeway (Eventfinda and Bridgeway both mention DOCTOR FAUSTUS starting on Friday too, though there is no session times that I can find, so...)

* Otherwise, KILLING THEM SOFTLY, SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED, LOOPER and SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN are all great films still available on the big screens; stylised 3D martial arts romp TAI CHI HERO (and Peter Stormare's cameo) might be worth a look; Judging from the handful of remaining sessions, Maori cannibal comedy FRESH MEAT doesn't look like it's going to make it past its second week; plus DREDD 3D, MOONRISE KINGDOM, YOUR SISTER'S SISTER and Lebanon's amusing WHERE DO WE GO NOW? are possibly in their final few days.

REPERTORY / ONE-OFF SCREENINGS:

* Big week!! The 7th annual Show Me Shorts Film Festival begins its nationwide trip in Auckland this week. There will be six collections rotating at The Capitol Cinema in Balmoral over the next 11 days, with further screenings at Pukekohe Cinema 3, the Waiheke Island Community Cinema and even a couple at The Internationalist in Rothesay Bay and way up in Matakana. Documentaries, world premieres, zombies, parallel worlds, superheroes, hand-drawn animation, computer animation, claymation, from NZ, Australia, Switzerland, Spain, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, India, etc...

* Reel Anime 2012 has four new animated Japanese films playing over the next few days: Studio Ghibli's FROM UP ON POPPY HILL (NZFF 2012), part one of a medieval fantasy-horror trilogy BERSERK: THE EGG OF THE KING (with a lead character called Guts!), CHILDREN WHO CHASE LOST VOICES and WOLF CHILDREN (from the team behind SUMMER WARS) have three Queen St. Event sessions each between Thursday and Sunday.

* Artweek (actually ten days) is winding down with a couple of FREE film screenings. TOKI DOES NEW YORK (2009) will play at the Art Gallery 1 PM Saturday and Cinema Politica will also be presenting a few films at the Britomart Country Club; MANUFACTURED LANDSCAPES (2006) is on at 8:30 PM Thursday and Saturday, THE YES MEN (2003) - or perhaps its sequel, THE YES MEN FIX THE WORLD (2009) from the sound of the write-up? - at 12 PM on Sunday and closing with CULTURE JAM: HIJACKING COMMERCIAL CULTURE (2001) at 8 PM on Sunday.

* Wednesday is the 19th Annual Watties Cans Film Festival at Hoyts and Event, where it'll cost you one 400g can of not-pet-food to see 2D versions of THE AVENGERS, DIARY OF A WIMPY KID 3, Pixar's BRAVE, ICE AGE 4, THE LORAX, HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA or THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN. And if you're still pondering whether you can afford a can of beans, this clip of the aforementioned Spider-Man making his way to the front door may help convince you...

* SESSIONS Actions Sports 2012 presents BENDING COLOURS about South African surfer Jordy Smith, playing at both Albany and St. Lukes Event 4 PM Sunday & 8:30 PM Monday.

* The films of David Lean are still playing at the Monterey in Howick, with a second screening of RYAN'S DAUGHTER (1970) at 2 PM on Sunday and A PASSAGE TO INDIA (1984) showing at 12:30 PM on Wednesday. They've also got some early morning Pixar films over the next six weekends, beginning this week with A BUG'S LIFE, 9:30 AM Saturday and Sunday.

* And on top of all that; THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965) returns at 1:30 PM on Sunday to Event, Monterey and Bridgeway; Parts 1 & 2 of documentary series EDEN: THE INSIDE STORY about the Eden Project in Cornwall continue as this week's daily 6 PM documentary over in Devonport, with parts 3 & 4 taking over daily from Sunday; Papakura is getting a few early screenings of the upcoming NZ doco SONG OF THE KAURI (NZFF 2012) Tuesday 12:30 PM & 7:30 PM at the Hawkins Theatre; and LED ZEPPELIN: CELEBRATION DAY has got yet another two screenings of the 2007 concert at Rialto.

All times above are accurate at the time of publication. Your best bet would be to check Flicks or the theatre website before attending. Please let us know in the comments if you spy anything we've messed up/missed out!