Tag: Taika Waititi

‘Jojo Rabbit’ successfully walks a comedic and emotional tightrope

Jeff Mitchell

“Jojo Rabbit” –  Taika Waititi is an immensely talented and creative actor, writer and director, but he needs to add tightrope walker to his resume, because he pulls off an impossible balancing act with his new film “Jojo Rabbit”. Set in Germany during the last throes of WWII, Jojo Betzler (Roman Griffin Davis), 10, is a devoted member of the Hitler Youth, but he discovers that his mother (Scarlett Johansson) is hiding a Jewish girl in their home, which throws his little fanatical mind for a loop. On the surface,…

Looking back at ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ director Taika Waititi’s movie catalog

Jeff Mitchell

On Friday, Nov. 3, “Thor: Ragnarok” invades theatres, and this latest installment in the Marvel Universe delivers spectacular thrills and oodles and oodles of laughs. (3.5/4 stars)  In fact, one could easily label it as a comedy, instead of an action-adventure, comic book film without an ounce of grief from anyone.   Credit the actors, including Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Mark Ruffalo, and Jeff Goldblum.   Tessa Thompson and Cate Blanchett hop on the comedy train as well, and the film’s overall tone matches its director Taika Waititi. Waititi is no stranger…

Looking back at director Taika Waititi’s wonderful New Zealand film catalog

Jeff Mitchell

On Aug. 7, Art House Film Wire looked back at four fantastic four-star Australian thrillers on Netflix and/or Amazon, and the land Down Under has certainly raised the cinematic bar.   Well, Australia’s nearby neighbor, New Zealand, is not new to the movie-making business either.  Like the Aussies, the Kiwis have churned out terrific movies too, and no, New Zealand cinema is not limited to the “Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” series.   Specifically, let’s look at one director, Taika Waititi.   We’ll, he’s not just a director, because he…