Sam, a fearless young girl raised outside of her Māori culture, is determined to fulfil her mission of connecting with her mountain in the hope they can heal her from the cancer she battles. Along the way she meets some misfits and new kids in town – Mallory, hoping to find friends, any kind of…
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Given that Rachel House so consistently makes an impression on screen with her oft-deadpan delivery, it stands to reason that her move behind the camera garner significant interest too. Though the regular Taika Waititi collaborator has a slew of short films under her belt, The Mountain stands as her debut in feature filmmaking, with the…
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If you browse long enough on Twitter, sorry, X, you’ll note that there’s still chatter and self-diagnosed “hot takes” regarding Taika Waititi‘s 2019 outing Jojo Rabbit. The film already had its share of detractors in the immediate aftermath of its release, but an Oscar win for Best Screenplay and the general good word for its…
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After breaking out as a talent to watch from his performance in Taika Waititi’s acclaimed comedy Hunt for the Wilderpeople, New Zealand-born actor Julian Dennison quickly took the international film scene by storm with roles in such hits as Deadpool 2, The Christmas Chronicles 2 and Godzilla vs. Kong. Returning to his homeland, Dennison’s latest…
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The Brisbane International Film Festival (BIFF), presented by MINI, has announced its 2023 program with an incredible line-up of Queensland and Australian premiere features, with Taika Waititi’s Next Goal Wins, starring Michael Fassbender, serving as the Australian premiere and Closing Night event. BIFF’s program is further brimming with Queensland premieres from highly acclaimed and visionary…
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Inspired by a true story – that pretty much actually happened – from the Academy Award losing director of Jojo Rabbit, Taika Waititi, Next Goal Wins tells the story of the American Samoa soccer team, who suffered the worst loss in World Cup history, losing to Australia 31-0 in 2001. With the 2014 World Cup…
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Once Taika Waititi reinvented the Marvel wheel with 2017’s wild Thor: Ragnarok, it made sense that the studio big-wigs would bestow further free licensing in the character’s shift towards a more humorous mentality. And whilst that’s all well and good – we certainly don’t want the character regressing in any manner – Thor: Love and…
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Chris Hemsworth, Elsa Pataky and Director Taika Waititi walk the red carpet for the Sydney premiere of Thor: Love and Thunder. Joining them at the premiere were local celebrities and VIPs. Our photographer Nathan Atkins was there to bring us all the action.
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When Lightyear was first announced it understandably caused confusion as to how it aligned itself with the Toy Story films its character originated from. Was it a spin-off, something that existed separately from the franchise? Or, did it perhaps focus on a real-life astronaut, suggesting that the Toy Story universe was set in a period…
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Whilst movies based on video games continue to mostly earn a reaction that’s far less enthused than their source material, the video game inspired flick is another story entirely. Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, the latest Jumanji films (Welcome to the Jungle and The Next Level), the vast amount of time-loop movies, Sucker Punch (y’all know…
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There’s that old chestnut saying that truth is stranger than fiction, and it would appear that no one knows this more than writer/director Wes Hurley. An autobiographical tale of growing up queer in the USSR in the 1980’s, Potato Dreams of America is an often bizarre, occasionally sad, but completely unique feature that, however trite…
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Still hot from it’s box office success in New Zealand, the Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok) executive produced comedy The Breaker Upperers is set to tour down under, with directors Jackie Van Beek (What We Do in the Shadows) and Madeleine Sami (Slow West) leading the charge of upcoming Q&A screenings across the country. The Breaker Upperers follows Mel and Jen,…
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Given that we can almost outsource every chore, errand, and activity that come our way, it only makes sense that the unfortunate responsibility that is breaking up with someone be a lucrative business too. Enter The Breaker Upperers, a duo of frozen-hearted, screwed-over singletons who appear more than happy to break the heart of someone…
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Under Taika Waititi’s imaginative direction and influence, Thor: Ragnarok single-handedly innovated Marvel’s Thor franchise forever. Waititi’s refreshing exploration with the established Thor-lore while expanding Thor: Ragnarok’s artistic palette by mixing New Zealand humour, unique scene-stealing characters and eye-catching visuals earned him acclaim from critics and fans alike. Before going behind the camera for Marvel, however,…
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Marvel Studios have recently released a small featurette of Taika Waititi, director of Thor: Ragnarok, aptly named “On Set Moments with Taika”, fooling around on the Gold Coast set and giving us a deeper understanding of Taika himself, and how his energy, personality and passion rubbed off on Thor: Ragnarok to great effect. After Taika’s hilarious…
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Arriving into Australian cinemas on Boxing Day is Disney’s brand new animated feature Moana and this will be the first time the studio is exploring the culture and myths of the South Pacific region, particularly that of the Polynesian people. In the film an ancient curse that is causing the crops to fail and fish…
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New Zealand On Air (NZOA) has announced funding for two exciting television comedy series. A spin off of the critically acclaimed New Zealand vampire mockumentary, What We Do In The Shadow, and Māori sketch comedy, Only In Aotearoa, are expected to make their way to New Zealand screens next year. Paranormal Event Response Unit is conceived by HBO’s…
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Even the Reddit detectives would have been a little dumbfounded when it came to the true whereabouts of Thor during Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War. The absence of both Thor and The Hulk from Marvel’s recent venture did not go by without notice and while fans took time to try and figure out where it…
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Have you seen that ad where the three kids sit in the car and talk about how their dads drive when they’re blazed? If so, you’ll probably recognise Ricky Baker (Julian Dennison), though he’s done some growing. When he arrives at his latest foster home, deep in the New Zealand bushland, he steps out of…
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Taika Waititi‘s Hunt for the Wilderpeople is a delightfully off-beat trek through the New Zealand bush, starring Julian Dennison and Sam Neill. We caught up with Waititi and Dennison to chat about what it was like working on the film, its origins and what’s on the cards next for the two. Taika, how do you feel Hunt…
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Taika Waititi‘s New Zealand-set and produced Hunt for the Wilderpeople releases this week and we were lucky to be in attendance at the film’s Sydney premiere. Alongside getting to see the film itself (look for our review later in the week), we were also treated to a short Q&A with director Taika Waititi and cast members Julian…
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Taika Waititi recently broke the New Zealand box office record for the highest-grossing film of all time with his new movie Hunt for the Wilderpeople which he wrote, directed and starred in. The previous box office record was set by another movie by him called Boy and you might recognise his other hits such as Eagle…
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Ever since his vampire mockumentary film left a crater of both critical and popular acclaim in its wake, rumours have been circling director Taika Waititi and the possibility of a sequel to What We Do In The Shadows. Those possibilities look to have come to fruition this week with Waititi confirming the sequel (and its…
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The first image for Disney’s next Princess adventure, Moana, has been released, along with more details about the company’s upcoming animation. Disney’s 56th animated feature film will hit screens late 2016 and focuses on the story of ‘Moana’ – a Polynesian ‘Princess’ who sets out on a quest to fulfill an ancestor’s quest. Labelled as an…
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