Boy

Boy (2010) – Movie Review

Director: Taika Waititi (Dir: Flight Of The Conchords, Eagle vs Shark)

Screenwriter: Taika Waititi

Producer: Cliff Curtis (Actor: Uncle Bully in Once were Warriors, Amir in Three Kings)

Studio: New Zealand Film Commission

Production Companies: Unison Films, Whenua Films

Top Billed Cast: James Rolleston, Taika Waititi, Te Aho Aho Eketone-Whitu

LOGLINE: 1984. When Boy's dad rolls back into town after a stint in the joint and who knows what else, the two Maori men struggle to find a rhythm as they search for hidden money, party and hang out with their upstart bikey gang.

VIEWING CIRCUMSTANCES: At home in the loungeroom with my wife as part of our unofficial kiwi film fest in honour of the RWC in NZ this month.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Boy oh boy what a great film (pun totally intended). Just the right mix of quirk, drama, comedy and culture (both pop culture and Maori culture).

STORY: All though I've only given Boy a 1/2 a reel of film extra than my rating of Eagle vs Shark, writer/director Taika Waititi's previous effort (that I watched after this film by reviewed before [i'm playing catch up]), this is a vast improvement and a really classy flick.

PRODUCTION: cool. slightly more slickerer (that's totally a word) editing and higher production value than Eagle and some inventive shots and sequences. 

I love the way he mixes and weaves multiple, unrelated pieces of pop culture into to style of the film, similar to how Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge is a Bollywoodesque modern western rock musical set in Pari, in, made Australia or Edgar Wright's Scott Pilgrim vs The World, which mixes comic book, music video and video game cultures.

Michael Jackson + Haka = Fully Sick!

PERFORMANCE: The Boy in Boy is great. These kiwi kid actors are amazing. (Don't forget Melanie Lynskey of Two Half Men and Anna Paquin of X-Men fame both started as kiwi kid actors and the girl in Whale Rider was amazing. They should release a double feature DVD or even big screen screening of Whale Rider and Boy and call it "boy and girl".)


The auteur (writer/director) Taika is awesome as the dad.

OVERALL: Watch this space - Taika co-wrote and directed Eagle vs Shark, 10 episodes of Flight of the Conchords and now this little gem, more good things to come I'm sure!

MEETSLINE: Baadasssss! meets Whale Rider

FAVOURITE QUOTE: "Maori Smurf"

"Teacher: Now, who knows what disease this sheep has? 

Kingi: AIDS?
Teacher: Not AIDS, you dork!"


"Boy: So what you guys been up to?
Dallas: We are self employed now
Boy: What's your job?
Dallas: Chucking mud at those cows"


"Mr. Langston: People call me a dumb honky all the time. I don't go round punching them.
Boy: Why not?
Mr. Langston: Because they're usually children."

RECOMMENDED ACCOMPANIMENT: Ice block, "pipeweed", beer or 'real milk'

LINKS:

RATING:

4 1/2 out of 5 reels of film.

 Movie Review by A.B. McBlogsmith the Backwards Cap Film Reviewer

(C) Review Flix 2011

Whale Rider

Whale Rider (2002) – Movie Review

Director: Niki Caro

Screenwriter: Niki Caro

Based on the book by: Witi Ihimaera

Producers: John Barnett, Frank Hubner, Tim Sanders

Studio: New Zealand Film Commission

Production Companies: South Pacific Pictures, Apollomedia, Pandora Filmproducktion

Top Billed Cast: Keisha Castle-Hughes, Rawiri Paratene, Vicky Haughton, Cliff Curtis, Grant Roa

LOGLINE: A powerful, spiritual young Maori girl struggles to earn her grandfather-guardian's love and respect after her birth (being a woman) broke the line of chiefs that went all the way back to the begining. 

VIEWING CIRCUMSTANCES: At home, in a single sitting, in my loungeroom with my wife, on a weekend. Part of the New Zealand film fest we're havign in honour of the Rugby World Cup in NZ this month.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Wowsers. I'm usually more of an action/comedy/eipc/anything-but-drama kind of guy but this movie, which is pretty much pure drama rocked me! I do have a soft sport for the Haka, even though I'm an Aussie and the Kiwis are are natural enemy, there is a certain level of respect. Without trying to sound condescending, NZ is like Australia's little brother and when they do something kind we (or at least I) feel kinda proud of them. Well in the film and music realms anyway - not in rugby, and certainly not when it's against us!

But there sure are some great films coming out of the little island nation at the moment, Lord of the Rings (my favourite/the greatest film ever), Flight of the Conchords, Eagle vs Shark, Boy and others I'm sure that I haven't sen yet (what's Jane Campion up to? She must have one out...)

STORY: Powerful, heart renching stuff - yes I know, I'm the backwards hat film reviewer, I'm supposed to be cool and into 'regular' (i.e. vacuous) films, but I'm aloud to have a couple of dramas that I did, and besides there are only so many 'regular' films one can watch before you have to turn to other stuff not only to because you're mind might explode from numbness but also because you just ran out of films to watch. Anyway the point is this is a great story. It follows along the mythological pattern of the monomyth/hero's journey pretty strongly, what with the her being of coming-of-age age and quasi-orphaned etc. But it does it really well.

PRODUCTION: Fairly low key, but that was all that was required.

PERFORMANCE: Knock-your-socks-off good, espeically from the twelve year old Keisha Castle-Hughes but really all round. How did they not all win Oscars for their respective roles?

OVERALL: A beauty. Pretty full on, high ups and low downs (but not to messed up). Overall a great flick.

MEETSLINE: The Bible etc meets Maori culture.

FAVOURITE QUOTE: "My name is Paikea Apirana, and I come from a long line of chiefs stretching all the way back to the whale rider. I'm not a prophet, but I know that our people will keep going forward, all together, with all of their strength."

RECOMMENDED ACCOMPANIMENT: Pawa

RATING:

4 1/2 out of 5 reels of film.

Movie Review by A.B. McBlogsmith the Backwards Cap Film Reviewer

(C) Review Flix 2011