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Vanessa Stacey
Vanessa Stacey (born 7 August 1978) is a New Zealand film, television and stage actress, musician, director, producer, playwright, singer, songwriter and comedian. Well known as Alice in the New Zealand cult science fiction series '' The Tribe'' and as Brenda Blue in the British children's television show ''Jay Jay the Jet Plane'', she also had roles in the first and third parts of ''The Lord of the Rings'' (''The Fellowship of the Ring'' and ''The Return of the King''), '' Outrageous Fortune'', '' Out of the Blue'', '' Woodville'', and '' How to Murder Wife''. Biography Vanessa Stacey was born in Invercargill, New Zealand. At the age of 7, she and her older brother Martin appeared as film extras with her father, a stuntman, in the 1986 post-apocalyptic film '' Battle Truck'' and the 1988 fantasy-adventure film ''Willow''. She became involved with community theatre groups, debating teams and theatre sports groups during high school as well as performing in a number of school ch ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Central Otago
Central Otago is located in the inland part of the Otago region in the South Island of New Zealand. The motto for the area is "A World of Difference". The area is dominated by mountain ranges and the upper reaches of the Clutha River and tributaries. The wide flat plateau of the Maniototo which lies between the upper reaches of the Taieri River and the Clutha's northern tributary the Manuherikia River, Manuherikia is also part of Central Otago. Characterised by cold winters and hot, dry summers, the area is only lightly populated. First significant European occupation came with the discovery of gold at Gabriel's Gully near Lawrence, New Zealand, Lawrence in 1861, which led to the Central Otago goldrush. Other towns and villages include Alexandra, New Zealand, Alexandra, Bannockburn, New Zealand, Bannockburn, Clyde, New Zealand, Clyde, Cromwell, New Zealand, Cromwell, Millers Flat, New Zealand, Millers Flat, Naseby, New Zealand, Naseby, Omakau, Ranfurly, New Zealand, Ranfurly, Rox ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Outrageous Fortune (TV Series)
''Outrageous Fortune'' is a New Zealand family comedy crime drama television series, which ran from 12 July 2005 to 9 November 2010 on TV3. The series followed the lives of the career criminal West family after the matriarch, Cheryl (Robyn Malcolm), decided the family should go straight and abide by the law. The show was created by James Griffin and Rachel Lang and produced by South Pacific Pictures. Like the show itself, episodes took their names from Shakespeare quotations. The show concluded after 6 seasons and 107 episodes making it the longest running drama series made in New Zealand. The primary cast for the show's run consisted of Robyn Malcolm, Antony Starr, Siobhan Marshall, Antonia Prebble, Frank Whitten and Kirk Torrance; Grant Bowler appeared in a sporadic role throughout the show's first five seasons. The show premiered on 12 July 2005 and was welcomed by high acclaim. It won many of the major categories in the New Zealand television awards for its first 4 years ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Frighteners
''The Frighteners'' is a 1996 supernatural comedy horror film directed by Peter Jackson and co-written with Fran Walsh. The film stars Michael J. Fox, Trini Alvarado, Peter Dobson, John Astin, Dee Wallace Stone, Jeffrey Combs, R. Lee Ermey and Jake Busey. ''The Frighteners'' tells the story of Frank Bannister (Fox), an architect who practices necromancy, developing psychic abilities allowing him to see, hear, and communicate with ghosts after his wife's murder. He initially uses his new abilities to befriend ghosts, whom he sends to haunt people so that he can charge them handsome fees for "exorcising" the ghosts. However, the spirit of a mass murderer appears able to attack the living and the dead, posing as the ghost of the Grim Reaper, prompting Frank to investigate the supernatural presence. Jackson and Walsh conceived the idea for ''The Frighteners'' during the script-writing phase of ''Heavenly Creatures''. Executive producer Robert Zemeckis hired the duo to write ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Heavenly Creatures
''Heavenly Creatures'' is a 1994 New Zealand biographical psychological drama film directed by Peter Jackson, from a screenplay he co-wrote with his partner, Fran Walsh, and starring Kate Winslet and Melanie Lynskey in their feature film debuts, with supporting roles by Sarah Peirse, Diana Kent, Clive Merrison, and Simon O'Connor. Based on the notorious 1954 Parker–Hulme murder case in Christchurch, the film focuses on the relationship between two teenage girls—Pauline Parker and Juliet Hulme—which culminates in the murder of Parker's mother. The events of the film span the period from their meeting in 1952 to the murder in 1954. The film opened in 1994 at the 51st Venice International Film Festival, where it won the Silver Lion and became one of the best-received films of the year. Reviewers praised most aspects of the production, with particular attention given to the performances by the previously unknown Winslet and Lynskey, as well as for Jackson's directing. The film ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Cherry Orchard
''The Cherry Orchard'' (russian: Вишнёвый сад, translit=Vishnyovyi sad) is the last play by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. Written in 1903, it was first published by ''Znaniye'' (Book Two, 1904), and came out as a separate edition later that year in Saint Petersburg, via A.F. Marks Publishers.Commentaries to Вишневый сад The Complete Chekhov in 30 Volumes. Vol. 13. // Чехов А. П. Вишневый сад: Комедия в 4-х действиях // Чехов А. П. Полное собрание сочинений и писем: В 30 т. Сочинения: В 18 т. / АН СССР. Ин-т мировой лит. им. А. М. Горького. — М.: Наука, 1974—1982. Т. 13. Пьесы. 1895—1904. — М.: Наука, 1978. — С. 195—254. It opened ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Animal Farm
''Animal Farm'' is a beast fable, in the form of satirical allegorical novella, by George Orwell, first published in England on 17 August 1945. It tells the story of a group of farm animals who rebel against their human farmer, hoping to create a society where the animals can be equal, free, and happy. Ultimately, the rebellion is betrayed, and the farm ends up in a state as bad as it was before, under the dictatorship of a pig named Napoleon. According to Orwell, ''Animal Farm'' reflects events leading up to the Russian Revolution of 1917 and then on into the Stalinist era of the Soviet Union. Orwell, a democratic socialist, was a critic of Joseph Stalin and hostile to Moscow-directed Stalinism, an attitude that was critically shaped by his experiences during the May Days conflicts between the POUM and Stalinist forces during the Spanish Civil War. In a letter to Yvonne Davet, Orwell described ''Animal Farm'' as a satirical tale against Stalin ("'"), and in his essay "Why I W ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Charlotte's Web
''Charlotte's Web'' is a book of children's literature by American author E. B. White and illustrated by Garth Williams; it was published on October 15, 1952, by Harper & Brothers. The novel tells the story of a livestock pig named Wilbur and his friendship with a barn spider named Charlotte. When Wilbur is in danger of being Slaughterhouse, slaughtered by the farmer, Charlotte writes messages praising Wilbur such as "Some Pig" and "Humble" in her web in order to persuade the farmer to let him live. Written in White's dry, low-key manner, ''Charlotte's Web'' is considered a classic of children's literature, enjoyed by adults as well as children. The description of the experience of swinging on a rope swing at the farm is an often-cited example of rhythm in writing, as the pace of the sentences reflects the motion of the swing. In 2000, ''Publishers Weekly'' listed the book as the best-selling children's paperback of all time. ''Charlotte's Web'' was adapted into an Charlotte's We ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cover Songs
In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or Sound recording and reproduction, recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song released around the same time as the original in order to compete with it. Now, it refers to any subsequent version performed after the original. History The term "cover" goes back decades when cover version originally described a rival version of a tune recorded to compete with the recently released (original) version. Examples of records covered include Paul Williams (saxophonist), Paul Williams' 1949 in music, 1949 hit tune "The Hucklebuck" and Hank Williams' 1952 song "Jambalaya (On the Bayou), Jambalaya". Both crossed over to the popular hit parade and had numerous hit versions. Before the mid-20th century, the notion of an original version of a popular tune would have seemed slightly odd – the produ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Willow (film)
''Willow'' is a 1988 American high fantasy adventure film directed by Ron Howard and produced by Nigel Wooll. The film was executive produced by George Lucas and written by Bob Dolman from a story by Lucas. The film stars Warwick Davis, Joanne Whalley, Val Kilmer, and Jean Marsh. Davis portrays the title character, an aspiring magician who teams up with a disaffected warrior (Kilmer) to protect a baby from an evil queen (Marsh). Lucas conceived the idea for the film in 1972, approaching Howard to direct during the post-production phase of '' Cocoon'' in 1985. Bob Dolman was brought in to write the screenplay, coming up with seven drafts before finishing in late 1986. It was then set up at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and principal photography began in April 1987, finishing the following October. The majority of filming took place in Dinorwic quarry in Wales with some at Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire, as well as a small section in New Zealand. Industrial Light & Magic created the CGI ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Warlords Of The 21st Century
''Battletruck'' (also known as ''Warlords of the 21st Century'' in the U.S. and '' Destructors'' in Italy) is a 1982 New Zealand post-apocalyptic science fiction action film co-written and directed by Harley Cokliss and starring Michael Beck, Annie McEnroe, James Wainwright, John Ratzenberger, and Bruno Lawrence. Set in the aftermath of a devastating series of wars referred to as the Oil Wars, the plot is a futuristic tale of a community fighting against a local warlord in the lawless rural countrywide. A co-production between New Zealand and the United Kingdom, it was filmed on location in New Zealand and starring a number of local actors, and was part of a wave of similarly-themed films made in the wake of the success of the '' Mad Max'' series. Plot In the near future, Earth has been devastated by a series of wars referred to as "the Oil Wars" over depleting petroleum reserves. The regions around the oil producing Mesopotamia Basin are largely radioactive wastelands due to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Extras (film)
''Extras'' () is a 2001 fly on the wall Fly on the wall is a style of documentary-making used in film and television production. The name derived from the idea that events are seen candidly, as a fly on a wall might see them. In the purest form of fly-on-the-wall documentary-making, t ... Chinese documentary film by director Zhu Chuanming. The documentary has been seen as tinged with social criticism in its observation of the lives and dreams of China's poorly paid film extras.Paul G.. Pickowicz, Yingjin Zhang ''From underground to independent: alternative film culture in contemporary China'' 2006 Page 95 "All the subversion inherent in the film Extras, and in the very existence of these extras themselves, is summed up nicely in that incident: these people encroach upon the glory of a popular culture that is perhaps the most powerful authority in .." References 2001 films Chinese-language films Chinese documentary films 2001 documentary films Documentary films about th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Invercargill, New Zealand
Invercargill ( , mi, Waihōpai is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. The city lies in the heart of the wide expanse of the Southland Plains to the east of the Ōreti or New River some north of Bluff, which is the southernmost town in the South Island. It sits amid rich farmland that is bordered by large areas of conservation land and marine reserves, including Fiordland National Park covering the south-west corner of the South Island and the Catlins coastal region. Many streets in the city, especially in the centre and main shopping district, are named after rivers in Scotland. These include the main streets Dee and Tay, as well as those named after the Tweed, Forth, Tyne, Esk, Don, Ness, Yarrow, Spey, Eye and Ythan rivers, amongst others. The 2018 census showed the population was 54,204, up 2.7% on the 2006 census number and up 4.8% on the 2013 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
