5 cool things to do this weekend

Morgana O'Reilly in Housebound.

Housebound premiere

Gerard Johnstone's comedy-horror has picked up considerable buzz in the US and locally with nzherald.co.nz film blogger Dominic Corry saying it and What We Do in the Shadows is "heralding a new dawn in populist New Zealand cinema". Which sounds really quite important. The movie starring Rima Te Wiata and O'Reilly as mum and daughter has its NZ premiere at the Civic on 9pm Saturday night in a prime- time slot at the International Film Festival, the programme of which says it could easily be the most energising fun you've ever had at a NZ movie".

Peanut Butter Wolf, Cassette Nine, Saturday

Legendary crate digger, hip-hop DJ, and soul music visionary, Peanut Butter Wolf has been responsible for the discovery of acts like Aloe Blacc, Mayer Hawthorne, and J Dilla through his label Stones Throw Records. Now he's dropping by New Zealand to play some live shows, and show us all why the likes of Snoop Dogg, A Tribe Called Quest, Nas, and Odd Future often take him out on tour. You can expect a seamless blend of genres, and some sweet visual element extras.
Cassette Nine is in Vulcan Lane in the CBD..

Silo Sessions for Matariki, Silo Park

When the Matariki star cluster rises into the skies of New Zealand, it signals a month-long celebration of the Maori New Year. That celebration is coming to an end this weekend, so Silo Park have plenty of entertainment on offer. There will be light-based artworks and moving images accompanied by Che Fu and King Kapisi doing DJ sets on Friday night, a large market on Saturday, and on Sunday between midday and 5pm, live performances from the wonderfully entertaining Modern Maori Quartet, soulful, eclectic Dudley Benson, and The X Factor's Whenua Patuwai.

Healing, in cinemas now

Finally, a movie about a couple of Aussie blokes fighting over falcons. It's a bad joke, but not too far off the mark as a description of this Australian indie film, except those falcons are joined by owls and eagles, and the Aussie blokes are inmates in a special pre-release programme which pairs them with injured birds at a working farm/rehabilitation/correctional centre. And they're not really fighting. It stars Don Hany as a long term prisoner who's pretty well given up on life, and Hugo Weaving as his case worker, and looks to be a gentle, insightful drama -- which will also appeal to bird lovers.

Katchafire and Kora, Powerstation, tonight and Saturday

It might feel cold enough to freeze your shadow to the sidewalk this week, but that's not gonna stop Katchafire and Kora turning the heat up and pretending it's summer as they take over the Powerstation this weekend. Their Friday night show has sold out, but you can still head along on Saturday for as much blazing, skanking, soul-dub-funk-roots-reggae as you please.

- TimeOut