pearce
@pearced.bsky.social
They pay me in woims. Books, music, movies and politics. One-time President of the VUW Muppet Club. Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai, Aotearoa. Ngāi Tahu. He/him.
From the linked article. They could make a lot more of this. E.g. asking "if those previous bills were so vitally important, why did you abandon them once the headlines dried up?"
November 4, 2025 at 10:12 PM
From the linked article. They could make a lot more of this. E.g. asking "if those previous bills were so vitally important, why did you abandon them once the headlines dried up?"
Let me throw in one very late recommendation, well outside of the '80s - Loop Track (2023). A very twitchy inexperienced tramper (writer/director/star Tom Sainsbury, usually a comedian) becomes even more paranoid than usual in the bush. Best to know nothing more about this one. Very very low budget.
November 2, 2025 at 1:37 AM
Let me throw in one very late recommendation, well outside of the '80s - Loop Track (2023). A very twitchy inexperienced tramper (writer/director/star Tom Sainsbury, usually a comedian) becomes even more paranoid than usual in the bush. Best to know nothing more about this one. Very very low budget.
6. Jack Be Nimble (1993). This is unique. Alexis Arquette stars, with a flawless Kiwi accent. It's a wild Kiwi Gothic tale of abuse in foster care, weird gore, a genuinely frightening set of four spooky sisters, weird sibling relationships. Bruno Lawrence pops up again in a very different role.
November 2, 2025 at 12:20 AM
6. Jack Be Nimble (1993). This is unique. Alexis Arquette stars, with a flawless Kiwi accent. It's a wild Kiwi Gothic tale of abuse in foster care, weird gore, a genuinely frightening set of four spooky sisters, weird sibling relationships. Bruno Lawrence pops up again in a very different role.
I'm out of '80s recommendations that aren't cheats! Next of Kin (1982) was made in Australia when the Kiwi writer/director teams couldn't get it funded here, and Dead Kids (1981) is Auckland standing in for Galesburg, IL with an American cast & crew. They're both good but not very Kiwi.
November 2, 2025 at 12:16 AM
I'm out of '80s recommendations that aren't cheats! Next of Kin (1982) was made in Australia when the Kiwi writer/director teams couldn't get it funded here, and Dead Kids (1981) is Auckland standing in for Galesburg, IL with an American cast & crew. They're both good but not very Kiwi.
5. Mr. Wrong (1986) A woman buys a car haunted by a murder victim, and is also menaced by a stalker. This one is as much about how some men make life terrible for women as it is conventional horror. The director sells & rents it on her Vimeo page.
vimeo.com/271792174
vimeo.com/271792174
November 2, 2025 at 12:10 AM
5. Mr. Wrong (1986) A woman buys a car haunted by a murder victim, and is also menaced by a stalker. This one is as much about how some men make life terrible for women as it is conventional horror. The director sells & rents it on her Vimeo page.
vimeo.com/271792174
vimeo.com/271792174
4. The Lost Tribe (1984) - this one isn't really a recommendation but if you liked the isolated, atmospheric bush element of Bridge To Nowhere, this has lots more of that. But it's way too long and nowhere near eventful enough.
November 2, 2025 at 12:00 AM
4. The Lost Tribe (1984) - this one isn't really a recommendation but if you liked the isolated, atmospheric bush element of Bridge To Nowhere, this has lots more of that. But it's way too long and nowhere near eventful enough.
3. Bridge To Nowhere (1986). I gather you've already seen this, in which bushman Bruno Lawrence (definitely THE 1980s Kiwi actor) wants revenge on some kids. This one really sells the isolation of being lost in the bush.
November 1, 2025 at 11:56 PM
3. Bridge To Nowhere (1986). I gather you've already seen this, in which bushman Bruno Lawrence (definitely THE 1980s Kiwi actor) wants revenge on some kids. This one really sells the isolation of being lost in the bush.
2. Death Warmed Up (1984). Truly weird movie combining mad science, revenge killings, zombie mutants, a post-apocalyptic vibe, plenty of gore, etc. I canyon say it's good, but it's unique.
November 1, 2025 at 11:47 PM
2. Death Warmed Up (1984). Truly weird movie combining mad science, revenge killings, zombie mutants, a post-apocalyptic vibe, plenty of gore, etc. I canyon say it's good, but it's unique.
1. The Scarecrow (1982), based on a Kiwi Gothic novel by Ronald Hugh Morrieson, this is the closest we get to Ray Bradbury with a rural coming-of-age tale that has a razor killer lurking. The storytelling is a bit wonky but there are some good atmospheric parts. Not quite a slasher.
November 1, 2025 at 11:41 PM
1. The Scarecrow (1982), based on a Kiwi Gothic novel by Ronald Hugh Morrieson, this is the closest we get to Ray Bradbury with a rural coming-of-age tale that has a razor killer lurking. The storytelling is a bit wonky but there are some good atmospheric parts. Not quite a slasher.
The Battle of Algiers is justly getting some attention because of being featured in Paul Thomas Anderson's latest, but writer/director Gillo Pontecorvo's next film Burn! is also well worth a look.
October 1, 2025 at 12:46 AM
The Battle of Algiers is justly getting some attention because of being featured in Paul Thomas Anderson's latest, but writer/director Gillo Pontecorvo's next film Burn! is also well worth a look.
Solomon Kane movie is basically the Surf Dracula tweet
September 22, 2025 at 10:56 PM
Solomon Kane movie is basically the Surf Dracula tweet
What movie do you consider "perfect?"
September 22, 2025 at 9:17 PM
What movie do you consider "perfect?"
What movie do you consider "perfect"?
September 22, 2025 at 4:37 AM
What movie do you consider "perfect"?
What movie do you consider "perfect"?
September 22, 2025 at 12:40 AM
What movie do you consider "perfect"?
What movie do you consider "perfect"?
September 21, 2025 at 9:48 PM
What movie do you consider "perfect"?
No cheating. Your last saved celebrity photo is your therapist. Who is it?
August 3, 2025 at 2:33 AM
No cheating. Your last saved celebrity photo is your therapist. Who is it?
Don Frye IMO. I know a lot of people don't like Godzilla: Final Wars, but I very much enjoy him in it.
August 1, 2025 at 1:05 AM
Don Frye IMO. I know a lot of people don't like Godzilla: Final Wars, but I very much enjoy him in it.
29/30. At Land (1944), dir. Maya Deren.
July 31, 2025 at 11:46 PM
29/30. At Land (1944), dir. Maya Deren.
27/30. School in the Crosshairs (1981), dir. Nabuhiko Obayashi.
July 31, 2025 at 11:41 PM
27/30. School in the Crosshairs (1981), dir. Nabuhiko Obayashi.
The Devils (1971), dir. Ken Russell.
July 31, 2025 at 11:35 PM
The Devils (1971), dir. Ken Russell.
24/30. Saint Maud (2019), dir. Rose Glass.
July 31, 2025 at 11:32 PM
24/30. Saint Maud (2019), dir. Rose Glass.
23/30. Stories We Tell (2012), dir. Sarah Polley.
July 31, 2025 at 10:38 PM
23/30. Stories We Tell (2012), dir. Sarah Polley.
22/30. The Lickerish Quartet (1970), dir. Radley Metzger.
July 31, 2025 at 10:36 PM
22/30. The Lickerish Quartet (1970), dir. Radley Metzger.