Baby Done – Review Rafaela Sales Ross January 22, 2021 Reviews Easily standing on top of a tall tree, playfully swinging a chainsaw in one hand, Zoe (Rose Matafeo) looks effortlessly cool - and clearly fearless. As she banters with two male colleagues, whose expressions...
Youth at War in Jojo Rabbit and 1917 Carmen Paddock January 24, 2020 Analysis, Features, Opinion The 2020 Oscars season sees two wartime period pieces in its Best Picture race: Jojo Rabbit and 1917. At first glance, this seems their only similarity – it's not even the same war. Comedy legend Taika...
The Directors That Defined the 2010s Carmen Paddock December 11, 2019 Analysis, Features, Opinion Much can be said about the cinema of the 2010s, from Oscars drama and the legacy of #MeToo to the dominance of Disney and emergence of streaming platforms in film distribution. The films driving and reacting...
Jojo Rabbit – LFF 2019 Review Carmen Paddock October 10, 2019 Reviews Thank the cinematic gods a studio gave Taika Waititi the money to make what is – on paper – a disaster waiting to happen. Yet in his hands, a comedy about a Hitler Youth misfit and his imaginary friend...
From Short to Feature: Six Notable Expansions Carmen Paddock May 30, 2019 Analysis, Features, Top 10 After beginning life as a 13-minute short film, Thunder Road arrives in UK cinemas this week. The original depiction of a police officer awkwardly yet poignantly mourning his recently deceased mother through...
Scene Stealers: Jeff Goldblum in Thor: Ragnarok Naomi Soanes June 6, 2018 Features, Scene Stealers, Spotlight Jeff Goldblum has been stealing scenes on silver screens for a long time now, and so it should come as no surprise that he was at it again in 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok as the eccentric Grandmaster. Sporting...
Thor: Ragnarok’s Most Disappointing Part? Cate Blanchett As The Goddess of Death Tom Bond November 8, 2017 Analysis, Features, Opinion Thor: Ragnarok overcomes a lot of Marvel’s traditional problems – predictable three-act structure, bland quips and visuals – and turns its tics into triumphs – for example, crafting the inevitable and...
Team Talk – Thor: Ragnarok Louise Burrell October 29, 2017 Reviews It's safe to say that the majority of discussion around Thor: Ragnarok has been in regards to Marvel's choice of director. Taika Waititi is not only an interesting choice due to his lack of previous experience...
Spotlight: Taika Waititi Ellena Zellhuber-McMillan October 24, 2017 Analysis, Features, Spotlight On October 23, Taika Waititi’s Thor: Ragnarok will premiere. As a fellow Kiwi, it has been fascinating to watch the world embrace Waititi. His talent is undeniable. I have already written a love letter to...
Your Week In Film: Tombs, Terminators, Taika Waititi Stephen O'Nion September 22, 2017 News 1. Mother! Bombs! Things didn’t look super swell for Mother! when it got booed at Venice Film Festival. They looked worse when it got an F rating from Cinemascore, an organisation that polls moviegoers...
Top 20 Films of 2016: 2. Hunt For The Wilderpeople Louise Burrell December 30, 2016 Analysis, Features, Top 10 Writer-director (and occasional actor) Taika Waititi has made himself a nice little niche in the last ten years, creating New Zealand-centric films with universal appeal. Usually honing in on characters...
Hunt For The Wilderpeople – Review Kambole Campbell September 17, 2016 Reviews When protagonist Ricky Baker (Julian Dennison) points out "it's just like Lord of the Rings," as he and his grumpy "uncle" Hec (Sam Neill) hide from the disproportionate amount of armed troops hunting them,...
Short of the Week: Two Cars, One Night Dave McLaughlin February 8, 2016 Features, Independent, Short of the Week Ideal for post-Waitangi Day recovery, Two Cars, One Night is an Oscar-nominated short about childhood, love and connection from Taika Waititi, director of Boy. It tells of the growing love between a young boy...
A Love Letter to… Boy Ellena Zellhuber-McMillan November 26, 2014 Features, Love Letter, Nostalgia Taika Waititi's Boy is a cinematic gem for a number of reasons: it is well acted, brilliantly executed and aesthetically comprehensive, with well-balanced comedy and drama that has created one of the most...