scarfies
fancy owning a piece of kiwi cinema history? the flat from scarfies is on sale .
the dunedin house from 1999 cult classic scarfies has been renovated and put up for sale .
pictured: the scarfies crew (from left) taika cohen, charlie bleakley, ashleigh seager, neill rea, and willa o' neill .
scarfies' scenario of innocents bumbling onto a windfall giving them a crash course in underworld studies 101 is hardly new, with recent variations on that theme including shallow grave and a simple plan .
like heavenly creatures, scarfies combines dark doings with a persuasive sense of adventure and joy. avoiding becoming over - enamoured of its characters, scarfies treats its posse of amateur criminals with both celebration and cynicism. it evokes the feeling of that time in life when everything is new, a decaying flat is an adventure to be embraced, and decisions sometimes get made before being thought through .
in scarfies, five dunedin students find themselves in a free squat, and a dark place, after taking a criminal captive in their basement. the debut feature from robert sarkies starts as a comic tribute to otago student days, then turns into a psychological thriller. outside of the two warriors movies, scarfies was the most successful kiwi release of the 90s on home turf. it went on to scoop best film, director and screenplay awards at the 2000 nz film and tv awards. this excerpt sees the scarfies torn between dealing with the crim and a footy match at carisbrook .
internationally the reception was more mixed. scarfies screened in the world cinema section at sundance and american industry magazine variety praised the tight brothers sarkies' script and the movie' s
energy, humour and sustained tension
.
thanks partly to a clever marketing campaign making effective use of an old holden, and the otago rugby team' s blue and gold colours, scarfies ran for six months in local cinemas, becoming a big hit on its home turf. scarfies ranks behind the twin behemoths of once were warriors and its sequel, what becomes of the broken hearted, as the third most successful kiwi film made in the 90s. at the nz film and tv awards in 2000, it won most of the major awards, including best film, director, screenplay, and supporting actor (willa o' neill). the dominion called scarfies
a bona fide kiwi classic
, while herald writer russell baillie found it ‘the most outlandishly entertaining new zealand film in years
.
scarfies centred around the lives of a group of dunedin students living in the then - grotty building through a cold winter. they move into the seemingly abandoned house with free electricity at the beginning of the academic year, but soon discover a gigantic marijuana plantation in the basement .
five otago university students (' scarfies') decide to squat in an empty house. they discover a locked room that holds a hidden treasure - a large quantity of marijuana. what happens when the cash - strapped students decide to become amateur druglords for the week? and what exactly should they do about the owner of the crop ?
its shift from opening fizziness to black comedy exuding menace, paranoia and contemplations of murder makes scarfies quite a ride - though its occasional detour into slapstick does loosen the tightly wound tension, and makes for a couple of flat patches later in the piece. but that may be also due to so much of the action being necessarily house bound .
scarfies is a typical new zealand comedy, filled with bad acting, sex, weed and swearing. i don' t even know who thought it was a good idea to ruin the reputation of new zealand with this film, the plot is ridiculously stupid and antisocial. the only redemption of the film is the nice filming and editing techniques .
scarfies evokes kiwi student days, aided by pitch - perfect use of a classic soundtrack from record label flying nun (including the clean - who make a brief live appearance - the chills, straitjacket fits, and headless chickens). at the same time the realism of the details - the cold, grotty flat, the documentary - like shots of orientation shenanigans, a cast dressed in handknitted jumpers instead of designer labels - all help ground us in the story, as things begin to spin out of control. the small tally of kiwi films that have been aimed at young people includes a number that were weakened by uneven acting; but the largely youthful cast of scarfies do fine work .
some films defy categorisation, and refuse to sit snuggly in their box. sometimes the combination of too many flavours spoils the meal, and you end up with an unconvincing, inedible gloop. but in the right hands, the result can be something gloriously original and right: a sweetie, a little miss sunshine, a braindead... or a scarfies .
the film also offers us a warning of how in stressful times, morality can start to slide according to the dictates of the group. scarfies is a journey into darkness where most of the perpetrators aren' t monsters or fantasy heroes, but the people living in the next door flat. and you know what' s most worrying: most of them seem perfectly nice .
scarfies is a great many things - sometimes funny, sometimes joyful and nostalgic, more often dark and unpredictable. ultimately, despite the crowd - pleasing sitcom surfaces, what you have here is a psychological drama, lightened with some comedy and romance. it' s a film whose dramatic centre is one house, in the centre of which a man is tied to a chair. the man is clearly dodgy. but does that justify having his lips glued together ?
scarfies began from a desire by dunedin - raised robert sarkies to make a film that captured the essence of being a student in dunedin - including the city' s music and love of rugby - and combine it with a comic thriller. it was also a chance for a team of enthusiastic dunedin filmmakers to prove that they could pull off their first feature. that the first movie shot entirely in the city so energetically manages to tick all these boxes, without collapsing under the strain, is a miracle in itself .
some international reviewers remarked on its resemblance to a certain danny boyle thriller set in an edinburgh flat (shallow grave, a breakout hit about three middle class flatmates dealing with a dead body, released in 1995). but most noted its verve, and scarfies sold well overseas. hopes of mainstream box office success appear to have been curtailed by lack of familiarity with the film' s dunedin context, and a title that outside of new zealand - as sarkies put it -
no - one can understand
. indeed in the us it was retitled crime 101 .
in scarfies, a group of college students think they' ve stumbled into some fast money only to discover there are some dangerous strings attached. reliable scott (neill rea), practical emma (willa o' neill), naive graham (charlie bleakley), charming but sneaky alex (taika cohen) and alex' s embittered ex - girlfriend nicole (ashleigh seagar) are all students at new zealand' s otago university; otago students are nicknamed
scarfies
for the scarves that were once part of the student uniform. the five are looking for a cheap place to live and seem to have found one when they discover a large, abandoned house suitable for squatting, complete with electricity. but the real bounty is in the basement, which is hiding a large, lush garden of marijuana. the five quickly harvest the herb and sell it for a quick $ 50, 000 (far less than it was actually worth), but they' ve soon managed to spend their new found wealth just in time for the man who planted the pot to arrive, ready to kill whoever made off with his cash crop. the five trap the intruder in the basement, but when it becomes obvious they need to formulate a long term solution, the tensions start to get the better of them. ~ mark deming, rovi
scarfies is a good movie, with intense situations and even well thought out responses by the characters to said intense situations. unfortunately the whole thing collapses with a 10 - minute farcical ending that begs to be redone. also, i' ve read people comment that the kids were complex. wow. did we see the same movie? let' s see: the a $ $ hole guy / bad boy; the rich girl who falls for the bad boy; the sensitive guy; the weirdo kid who wants to get in the rich girl' s pants; and the sensitive girl. gee, how complex. nothing too great. good, decent movie, but a really, really stupid ending that cheats. a better ending would have offered us something dark, something bloody. instead we get an ending that
makes everything all right
. i thought only hollywood did crap like this. apparently not .
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mine' s graham from gore. so innocent, so naive, so thwarted in his crush on his flatmate nicole. so handy with electrical bits and pieces .
it' s a skill which comes in handy when he and his dunedin household, all newly arrived at otago uni, find the previous tenant of their mansion squat has left something of value behind in the basement. actually it' s something of
street value
and enough of it to make quite a dent in their collective student loans if they flog it off .
that' s until one day, just as they' re heading off to carisbrook for the big game, the previous occupant returns to find his crop already harvested and gone to market - for a paltry amount that' s already been blown on appliances and doing up the flat' s rustbucket vehicles .
he' s not happy. mate, he' s spewing. so they lock him in the basement while wondering what to do next. and as they wonder, good ol' graham starts rigging up some devices to make their unwelcome guest' s captive life just that little more uncomfortable .
but it brings something fresh and decidedly new zealand - accented to the premise .
it revels too in its setting, the dank mansion and surrounding city lending an air of southern gothic, while a flying nun soundtrack contributes to the nervy energy fair crackling off - screen in its latter stages .
and there' s more infectious energy coming from the young ensemble. the quintet of emma (o' neill), graham (bleakley), alex (cohen), nicole (seagar) all react to their hostage - taking predicament in ways that show their characters aren' t just woolly hatted archetypes, and debuting feature director sarkies gets convincing performances all round .
still, it' s easily the most outlandishly entertaining new zealand film for years - and because of that we could be in danger in slightly over - praising it in that star rating .
artem sitak has made the doubles quarterfinals of a grand slam for the first time .
look at what i found in the fruit bowl today. eyes, nose and even scary teeth .
an eu diplomat has been told she does not have to pay a $ 20, 000 debt to a landlord .
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five kiwi flatmates find something growing in their basement much to their delight, but when the rightful owner comes knocking and finds that they have appropriated the goods things start to go awry .
buzzing comedies such as the spy who dumped me await you in our summer movie guide. check in for all the info you need .
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had a serious allergic reaction to the face paint used for the scene when they are going to the auckland / otago rugby match. she had to leave it on despite the burning, as there were no other options and the paint had to be re - applied the next few days leaving o' neill with red bumps all over her face .
the national provincial championship final is portrayed as to only be a few weeks after the start of the school year. the university of otago school year actually begins in late february, while the npc finals are held in late october - 8 months later .
: i warn ya, this place is free for a reason. it' s a shit hole. still want to have a look ?
: okay. guided tour... hallway, dark, damp, rat - infested .
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five students take a room in a dunedin flat. dank, grotty, and completely gratis, it seems to good to be true. and it is. there is a secret in the basement, a stash of marijuana that seems to lack an owner. when that owner makes an unexpected reappearance, the students end up holding him captive in the basement .
kevin (jon brazier) is angry and occasionally terrifying (in fact his character' s threatening behaviour sometimes feels unbelievable, considering he' s the one trapped in a chair). grappling with how to handle a prisoner who has the potential to both attack them and reveal them to the police, the students find loyalties shifting, and norms of good behaviour drifting away. the pressure rises; kevin seems to be playing with their minds .
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six otago uni students discover crime should be left to criminals in this classic comedy .
i' ve got to see this. the soundtrack looks awesome and the kiwis were a powerhouse for great music during the flying nun years .
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the tomatometer score — based on the opinions of hundreds of film and television critics — is a trusted measurement of critical recommendation for millions of fans. it represents the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive for a given film or television show .
movies and tv shows are certified fresh with a steady tomatometer of 75% or higher after a set amount of reviews (80 for wide - release movies, 40 for limited - release movies, 20 for tv shows), including 5 reviews from top critics .
has more highs than lows and earns some bravery points for having the stones to go' ugly' once in a while .
1) the best god damn movie in the whole intire world. 2) a person who goes to otago university, dunedin, new zealand
my moms dog is full of fleas and very scarfy. or stop giving me the scarfy pillow! !
1. an adjective referring to anything that goes beyond trendy and hip. 2. an adjective meaning anything that is unnecessarily trendy and serving no true function. the word has become commonplace as a substitute for using the term hipster .
mary: i & apos; ve switched to only drinking herbal teas from fair - trade shops. jane: mary, you are so scarfy .
a scarfy is a pretentious indie or theatre kid, who would usually engage in activities such as eating their lunch in the photography room or spending free blocks in the
art hallway .
they generally listen to horrible music which usually consists of acoustics too quiet to hear, extremely loud drums, and vocals that give you a migrain, which they may think are
deep
or
profound
but are actually complete and utter horse shit. they are characterized by the scarfs they wear year round .
did you hear about david? yeah, what a shame, 1 month of being in theatre and he & apos; s already a scarfy .
man thats scarfy. you scarfy mother fucker. he’s pretty scarfy if you know what i’m saying bro .
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past president melanie receives the distinguished club 2016 - 2017 ribbon from vp education paulette .
vp public relations stephanie receives the spirit of success award having completed 5 of 10 speeches .
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while the exterior remains as it appears in the film, the six bedroom building has gone through serious renovations on the inside, and now looks far more inviting than when it played a starring role in the grimy film .
unlike the sets of many other films, 49 brown street appears to have remained relatively the same in the years after the film' s release .
indeed, in 2011 it was issued a building infringement notice by the dunedin city council, after tenants complained to the otago daily times it was structurally unsafe, only one lightbulb worked, and something was alive in the attic .
it' s been virtually rebuilt from the bottom up ,
she said .
the building was listed on trade me on friday, where it is described as
up - market
.
due to bereavement, the family has reluctantly decided to sell ,
the ad said, adding that the property attracted a combined rental income over $ 1000 .
brown street is popular with tenants due to its large comfortable rooms, modern decor and easy proximity to town. it is now an' up - market' rental property intended for senior students and young professionals .
mcewan said she had already received out - of - town interest within the first 24 hours, and expected more to come .
the building has an rateable value of just $ 320, 000, which mcewan blames on the small piece of land the property sits upon .
if you look at the rental returns, it will certainly for an excess of $ 700, 000 .
prospective buyers can attend an auction for the property in late june - but might want to be sure to check the basement first .
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the soundtrack to the kiwi movie of the moment also makes a worthwhile compilation of flying nun' s own millennium moments with more than half of the 13 tracks certified classics .
that includes the 3ds' outer space, the chills' doledrums, the clean' s tally ho, look blue go purple' s cactus cat, shayne carter and peter jefferies' randolph' s going home, straitjacket fits' she speeds, and the verlaines' death and the maiden .
various non - otago old boys (headless chickens, loves ugly children, jps experience and bike who contribute the previously unreleased gaze as one of their two songs) help to stretch the era and geography without losing focus .
the 17 - year - old white fern says women' s cricket has come a long way in terms of equal pay .
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- / / w3c / / dtd html 4. 01 transitional / / en
compiled from various flying nun artists by: robert sarkies, paul mckessar, alan holt .
look blue go purple, shayne carter and peter jefferies, the verlaines, straitjacket fits .
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scarfies ( or crime 101 in the us release ) is a low-budget 1999 new zealand film set in the southern university city of dunedin . the film 's original title comes from the local nickname for university students , scarfie , so called because of the traditional blue and gold scarves worn by students during the city 's cool winters in support of the otago rugby football union . scarfies starts off as a light comedy centred on a group of five students who get together after moving into a flat that is seemingly abandoned , but still has the power on , making for free if filthy accommodation . the film twists into something darker part way through , with elements of both black comedy and thriller . the discovery of a large crop of marijuana being grown in the basement leads firstly to euphoria , then paranoia and arguments amongst the flatmates about what will happen when the real owners come back to collect it . when kevin , the crop 's owner appears , the students , fearing for their lives , lock him in the basement . events unfold against a backdrop of the city 's biggest sporting event for years , the final of new zealand 's national rugby championship . despite the deliberate use of shots focusing on the city 's dowdier and darker elements , much of the film 's photography and soundtrack is an homage to the city , including the use of several dunedin sound songs in the soundtrack ( top local band the clean even make a cameo appearance during the film ) . the film was well-received , described as " ... the most outlandishly entertaining new zealand film for years ... " , and did well at the box-office . 
scarfies (or crime 101 in the us release) is a low-budget 1999 new zealand film set in the southern university city of dunedin. the film's original title comes from the local nickname for university students, scarfie, so called because of the traditional blue and gold scarves worn by students during the city's cool winters in support of the otago rugby football union. scarfies starts off as a light comedy centred on a group of five students who get together after moving into a flat that is seemingly abandoned, but still has the power on, making for free if filthy accommodation. the film twists into something darker part way through, with elements of both black comedy and thriller. the discovery of a large crop of marijuana being grown in the basement leads firstly to euphoria, then paranoia and arguments amongst the flatmates about what will happen when the real owners come back to collect it. when kevin, the crop's owner appears, the students, fearing for their lives, lock him in the basement. events unfold against a backdrop of the city's biggest sporting event for years, the final of new zealand's national rugby championship. despite the deliberate use of shots focusing on the city's dowdier and darker elements, much of the film's photography and soundtrack is an homage to the city, including the use of several dunedin sound songs in the soundtrack (top local band the clean even make a cameo appearance during the film). the film was well-received, described as "... the most outlandishly entertaining new zealand film for years... ", and did well at the box-office.
scarfies (or crime 101 in the us release) is a low-budget 1999 new zealand film set in the southern university city of dunedin. the film's original title comes from the local nickname for university students, scarfie, so called because of the traditional blue and gold scarves worn by students during the city's cool winters in support of the otago rugby football union. scarfies starts off as a light comedy centred on a group of five students who get together after moving into a flat that is seemingly abandoned, but still has the power on, making for free if filthy accommodation. the film twists into something darker part way through, with elements of both black comedy and thriller. the discovery of a large crop of marijuana being grown in the basement leads firstly to euphoria, then paranoia and arguments amongst the flatmates about what will happen when the real owners come back to collect it. when kevin, the crop's owner appears, the students, fearing for their lives, lock him in the basement. events unfold against a backdrop of the city's biggest sporting event for years, the final of new zealand's national rugby championship. despite the deliberate use of shots focusing on the city's dowdier and darker elements, much of the film's photography and soundtrack is an homage to the city, including the use of several dunedin sound songs in the soundtrack (top local band the clean even make a cameo appearance during the film). the film was well-received, described as "... the most outlandishly entertaining new zealand film for years... ", and did well at the box-office.