Movie review of 'Boy' directed by Taika Waititi

Boy
New Zealand (2010)
NR 87 min.

A 2010 New Zealand film written, directed and starring Taika Waititi of the Oscar nominated “Two Cars, One Night”.

The year is 1984, and on the rural East Coast of New Zealand, “Thriller” is changing kids’ lives. “BOY” is the hilarious and heartfelt coming-of-age tale about two brothers, Boy (James Rolleston) and his younger sibling Rocky (Te Aho Aho Eketone-Whitu) and their adventures after the return of their absentee father Alamein (Taika Waititi), who has been in prison for robbery for seven years.

I must say our New Zealand and Australian films hold a place in our heart. For my liking, they are considerably well done and very well written in many instances. And this film delivered, beyond my expectations.

“Boy” is about wit and humor, packaged conveniently in two adorable young children. Though the movie showcases just how destitute their village is, it still remarkable how deep in the regions of the rural East Coast of New Zealand, the children are entranced by Western Culture and in particular one very charismatic singer by the name of Michael Jackson. There is a significant contrast here, but it is all in good fun, and merely to break the true intent of the story, which is the estranged relationship between the two boys and their father. The boys see their father as a hero, imagining wild tales of his departure and ventures during his absence, while the reality is, their father has only returned to find the bag of money that he has buried in the garden. And his foolish antics along his side his two tag-along friends, only prove further, that Alamein is not good for the children, and his return during their influential developmental years, is highly disruptive.

But soon enough, Boy begins to unveil the rose colored glasses that he had been wearing and sees his father for whom he truly is and it is about Boy having to grow up quickly, calling his father out on his past actions. We might also add that Boy’s younger brother, Rocky has some issues of his own, as he perceives himself to be a superhero of sorts, with magical powers, that can at the turn of his hand, cause follies upon his victims.

From the beginning to the end, the movie was comedic and light-hearted but sincere. I could see the progression in the relationship between the boys and their father and appreciated their journey. In summary, I absolutely enjoyed this film and highly recommend it. And who doesn’t love a facetious depiction of Michael Jackson’s Thriller dance, brought to you Maori style! 

“Boy” opens at Kahala and Pearlridge West Consolidated Theaters (Hawaii) Friday April 27, 2012. Playing at selected theaters nationwide. 

Cast and Credit:
Written and Directed by Taika Waititi
Boy-James Rolleston
Rocky- Te Aho Aho Eketone-Whitu
Alamein-Taika Waititi

Movie Review: The Lucky One directed by Scott Hicks

The Lucky One
PG-13


Movie Synopsis: A Marine travels to North Carolina after serving three tours in Iraq and searches for the unknown woman he believes was his good luck charm during the war.

My Review: “The Lucky One” is the film adaptation of the Nicholas Sparks novel, titled the same. It is a story about one soldier’s savior, a photograph of a young a woman in front of a lighthouse – a woman that he does not know, but attributes to his safety.

Returning from his third tour of duty, U.S. soldier Logan Thibault (Zac Efron) returns to North Carolina to find he is unable to acclimate. Leaving with little more than his backpack and his dog, he ventures off to find the woman in the photograph, hoping to find closure, by thanking her for unknowingly becoming his guardian. When he finally finds her, he is unable to express his intent and instead resorts to accepting a rut job helping her out at her dog boarding kennel. From there, Logan begins to lay roots as he finds himself falling in love with the single mother, Beth (Taylor Schilling) and her young son, Ben (Riley Thomas Stewart) while Beth herself, after being in an unfaithful relationship, learns to trust and care for Logan. However, not with the blessing of Ben’s biological father, who verges on the edge of abusive, doing everything he can to threaten Beth and Logan’s budding relationship. In the end, the film is about letting go and moving on, learning to rely on others again to help heal deep wounds; Beth and her past experiences with her ex-husband and Logan’s traumatic stress from the war.

Overall, I thought the film was very good. Actually better than I thought it would have been (since I did not care for The Vow, to which they kept comparing the film too) and Efron definitely carried his weight in his performance. Truth be told, his earlier performance in the film of a soldier suffering from post traumatic stress was very moving and believable and I could have watched an entire film just on his ventures, if needed be. But, the film is based off a Sparks novel, and for those fans of Sparks’ novels, the stories center on the rough tribulations of life and the relationships that are hurt by such.

In the end, I felt the plot was very predictable in its journey but appreciated it nonetheless. And though the ending was a bit much for its overall tone, was rewarded just the same with a good, romantic film. “The Lucky One” was a solid movie with good acting and likeable characters. I wanted to see them succeed and I wanted to see them grow and “The Lucky One” delivered.

Since I do not have half stars here, I am giving it four, though it does verge on three and half due its formulaic predictable plot. But ironically, it is Efron himself, that steers me toward the four stars because all in all, I really did enjoy the movie and that's mainly all you can ask when you go to see a film. Was I blown away? Not really. Was I moved by the film? I think I was. And so I say, if you had any inclination to see this film, it's worth your time and you should definitely get out there and see it.

“The Lucky One” hits theaters nationwide today April 20, 2012.

Cast and Credit:
Directed by Scott Hicks
Zac Efron – Logan
Taylor Schilling – Beth
Blythe Danner – Ellie
Riley Thomas Stewart – Ben
Jay R. Ferguson – Keith

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
Author: Seth Grahame-Smith

Hardcover 336 pages


Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; 1st edition (March 2, 2010)

Book Summary: Stumbling across the secret journals of Abraham Lincoln, Seth Grahame-Smith begins to piece together an account of the life and times of Mr. Lincoln. But unbeknownst to him, it is one that is far greater and more dangerous that Grahame-Smith could ever have imagined. It is world... with vampires. 

My Review: Unfortunately, I let this book sit far too long on my shelf. The thought of reading a dry, boring account laced with inserts of implausible supernatural misfortune seemed... Not fun! 

But then the trailer for the movie adaptation came out and I found myself intrigued by Tim Burton's interpretaton. Though the film has not come out -- I must admit I really, really, really want to see the film. And this is why I went back to my shelf and pulled the book with the quite obvious cover. Yes, it is about Abraham Licoln and... Vampires!

But, something changed within me. The minute I picked up the book, I found myself smiling. What a clever, clever way to create a fantasy world, embedded in our rich history. Think Forest Gump. 

From the beginning to the end, I enjoyed this book immensely. It is very well written, and so much so, that I wondered if I was reading any literature that was truly historic in nature minus the creatures. And also wittily placed, are photos of the vamps themselves, that hilariously look authentic. 

In summary, the story is set up in modern time with a small town writer given a stack of journals to sort through for his own research and interpretation. But as the writer begins to delve deep into the journals, he becomes astonished at the fact that the journals belong to none other than Abraham Lincoln. From there the story is through his point of view with excerpts of Lincoln's writing; accounts that date back from his early childhood, through the Civil War and up to his impeding death. Grahame-Smith does an amazing job of keeping you entertained by giving you his misadventures in pieces, with the writer explaining his story in the background. I found the entire book sort of mesmerizing! 

I think the most amazing thing about this whole story though is that I actually believed it. I found myself really picturing Abraham Lincoln as this kick ass warrior that had made a personal vendetta to kill all vampires because of his mother's death. And I appreciated the little twist in the end. So without further adieu... You know the man... But do you really? Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter was awesome! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this book.