MamaGravity good back-story, and good acting

Pacionsbo Absolutely Fantastic

Plustown A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

Casey Duggan It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

kaybar I loved this film so much I've seen it several times, and with each viewing am rewarded with another layer of story telling, symbolism, character development and references to Kiwiana - & NZ v USA culture. On first viewing it's a twisty road trip with lashings of humour and a sci fi flavour, but subsequent viewings reveal a much darker story and complicated characters - once you recognise clues delivered in short sequences, or understand that throwaway lines are crucial to the story.Cinematically it's an eye popping feast of vast landscapes and gorgeous lush scenery, but it's the dark twisty story which satisfies the most. Melanie Lynskey as Alice blew me away in her first sexy lead role rather than as the usual "suburban friend" she gets cast as; even Dean O'Gormon surprised as I'd only ever seen him acting in a soap before.The soundtrack deserves special mention - especially the mood inducing soundscapes as the road trip progresses.Overall this is a classic NZ film which will affect an entire generation of New Zealanders as Goodbye Pork Pie did in the 70s. Well worth a look.

serebo1 Superb acting and cinematography compliment a fresh writing style that skillfully guides us through this modern-day "Alice in Wonderland" set in New Zealand. Lynskey especially takes us on an ultra-realistic joy/horror ride, as the subtle changes in her character hook us almost subconsciously, and before we know it, drag us forever down the rabbit hole, screaming for more!

jacob thomas I went to Snakeskin not expecting much, perhaps something along the lines of "Stickmen" a NZ version of a successful overseas production, with a focus on Kiwiana and gimmicky NZ references. Too a large degree I was not disappointed. Oliver Driver plays yet another weirdo (although this time a skin head speed freak) which he does well, however, his appearances are becoming a little too familiar. While the acting and actors are excusable the writing is not, the first half of the film is nothing particularly new but works, but, by the second half the writing is completely incoherent. At one point towards the end it seems as if too many characters have been introduced and writer/director Ashurst just gets rid of them, they walk off, get shot etc. etc.... More noticeable than their demise is the increasingly strange (dare I say quirky) mishmash of ideas thrown in to try to hold the script together as it winds down towards the end which is neither a surprise nor original. (In fact for all you B-grade film viewers, very "Tales from the crypt" type thing). The whole film is very New Zealand on the surface and should be praised for being true to "NZ", those of you who liked "Stickmen" will like this film, but for me it does not compare with "Goodbye pork pie". Go and see it if only for the landscape.

snotter-1 Kiwis have this really odd approach to our films. We automatically assume that if a film has come from the States, and if it's showing in Hoyts, then it's better than anything ever made in New Zealand, let alone the smelly ol' Mainland.As Snakeskin aptly shows, this is damn wrong, and it's fitting that it uses the Kiwi appropriation (obsession) with the American Dream as its central theme. In fact, the characters know more about Elvis and Marrilyn ("The patron saints of America guiding us on our journey") than about the small plastic Tiki they have in their car.It's a very clever, very well directed, *excellent* film. With a kicking soundtrack. This is very important.