Taika Waititi

Free Guy - 2/5

This movie is hilarious, but the plot and world building are horrible. It takes a whole scene to set up a certain mechanic early on in the film, and the one time that mechanic comes back into play it completely breaks its own rules. If the story beats were even sort of passable this movie would be great because of how funny it is, but the movie goes out of its way to explain normal things that need no explanation in such a way as to make no sense at all.

Closest comparison: It’s like Ready Player One by way of Divergent.

Setting: Sci-Fi
Plot: Dystopia
Tone: Comedy

What We Do in the Shadows (2014) - 4/5

This is one of those breakout indie films that puts a director on the map. Taika Waititi’s humor shines through very strongly in this film, and it will absolutely hit audiences differently based on personal sense of humor. It’s dark and quirky, its runtime mostly comprised of jokes about vampires killing people; this is both its primary vice and its primary virtue. The narrative certainly rambles, as most mockumentaries do, but the charm of this movie is in its quirky characters and top-tier special effects despite its low budget. There’s a lot to like here, but its mileage will vary wildly from person to person; it’s a cult classic for a reason.

Closest comparison: It’s like Interview With A Vampire by way of Drop Dead Gorgeous.

Setting: Horror
Plot: Mockumentary
Tone: Dark Comedy

The Mandalorian (Disney+) - 4/5

This show is the best Star Wars to come out since Return of the Jedi (1983). It starts off strong, then dips to its worst episode in episode 4, then climbs back up to finish strong in the final two episodes. Not only are the stakes small enough to care about but the job-a-week format keeps the plot moving to new and exciting places, both physically and metaphorically. The music is outstanding, not relying on any of the previously established themes, and the cast is mostly character actors that settle comfortably into a flushed-out world.

Closest comparison: It’s like a mix of Have Gun Will Travel (1957) and Lone Wolf and Cub (1970) with all the trappings of the original Star Wars trilogy.

Setting: Sci-fi
Plot: Western
Tone: Adventure

Jojo Rabbit - 5/5

This is a masterfully executed film that strides effortlessly between gut-busting comedy and gut-wrenching tragedy. Instead of poking fun at the hardships of German civilians in World War II as its main source of comedy the movie uses comedy to underscore the seriousness of the situation. The acting, score, and cinematography are all excellent, but the editing stands out and at times makes the movie feel like something directed by Wes Anderson or Edgar Wright. It’s deeply fascinating and bone-chillingly accurate in its absurdism.

Closest comparison: It like a cross between Moonrise Kingdom and The Pianist (2002).

Setting: Wartime
Plot: Coming of Age
Tone: Comedy / Tragedy

Thor: Ragnarok - 3/5

Mileage may vary. The action is awesome, but only some of the humor worked for me. The visuals are stunning, but much of the plot only pays off mildly well. It's not a bad film by any means, but it's only 'fine' when it could have been 'great'. It's candy, not meat and potatoes. It's fun, flashy and fleeting.

 Honestly the fact that the trailers ruined so much of the movie was very disappointing to me. There's like 20 minutes of build-up to "who is Thor going to fight?", but that was in the first 20 seconds of the trailer. And for as amazing as many of the costumes were, Valkyrie's costume was one of the worst I've seen in any super hero movie. Who thought "You know what's a badass color? Taupe."