Marvel Hands Taika Waititi The Reins To Thor, And It's Probably Going To Be Really, Really Good

There's nothing quite like the feeling of knowing two of your favorite things are coming together. For example, at some point when I was a kid my two favorite things were Michael Jackson and the film "Teenwolf". So you can imagine my excitment when I discovered "Thriller". Anyone who associates me on any kind of level knows that I absolutely love Marvel comics, and in association I am very impressed with the quality of movies they've been pumping out in the last several years. Also, anyone who reads my stuff knows that I am fast becoming a fan of the work of Taika Waititi. So, you can imagine my excitment when I heard the news that Marvel has hired Taika Waititi to write and direct the next installment of the Thor franchise "Thor: Ragnarok". So, who is Taika Waititi, and why should even the most casual of Marvel fans be excited? I'm here to break it down for you. Here's everything you need to know about the third most popular man in New Zealand before you see "Thor:Ragnarok":

He's an accomplished filmmaker. This isn't his first rodeo. In fact, the next Thor film will be Waititi's 6th major full-lenght film, following "Eagle vs. Shark", "Boy", "What we do in the Shadows", and "Hunt for the Wilderpeople". He was also heavily involved in production of "Flight of the Conchords" the hit HBO television show, writing and directing severl episodes, and making severl appearances in uncredited roles throughout the show's two season run. Though, he's yet to be recognized by the Film Academy, he has won several prestigious awards for his writing and directing.

He sticks to his roots. Taika Waititi's films are all carry a weight of personal importance to him. He has mentioned this many times, and it really shows in his films. All of his films are shot on-site in either Austraila and/or native country of New Zealand, and "Thor: Ragnarok" is no exception as filming began in New Zealand a few months ago, and recently shifted to Brisbane, Australia.

His films are packed with familiar faces. To date, all of Waititi's films have featured a performance from himself, and at least one main cast member from Flight of the Conchords, main cast members being Jemaine Clement who starred in "Eagle vs. Shark" and "What we do in the Shadows", Brett McKinzie who made appearances in "Boy" and "Hunt for the Wilderpeople" and Rhys Darby who appeared in "What we do in the shadows" (as a werewolf, nonetheless), and"Hunt for the Wilderpeople". Will this trend continue in "Thor"? We can only hope!

His films are brilliantly written and beautifully executed. All of his films come across on the surface ans witty and quirky, but contain alot of substance, and lessons to be learned beneath all of this. He's very capable of managing characters who develop naturally, and who's dialogue come across as fun, and memorable. 

Don't be surprised of "Thor: Ragnarok" is the best of the Thor films. Equipped with a stellar cast (I mean, they got Jeff Goldblum, that's not fair!), and a fantastic writer/director. I'm beyond confident in this gentleman's ability to make a quality film, and I'm a fan of what Marvel is doing. hiring compitent writers and directors to make their movies. Another home run for Marvel!

BOY

"You could be happy here....we could grow up together"- E.T. The Extra Terrestrial

Every once in a while, there will come a film that speaks to you, touches you, teaches you, and ultimately helps you see things a little differently. For me, this is one of those films. Could it be for you? Don't you want to find out? Sometime back in 2012, while "The Avengers" and "The Dark Knight Rises" were taking the box office by storm, I happened upon this little indie gem in a red box outside of a 7/11 at a time when I was in the midst of personal despair, and it remains the best single dollar I've ever spent. Original, offbeat, charming and above all else unforgettable, With lessons to be learned, and morals hidden in every nook and cranny,"Boy" will capture your heart and never let go.

With a low budget and limited resources this film delivers in a big way with an  exceptional, screenplay from the mind of the third most popular man in New Zealand, Taika Waititi. Armed with what has become my favorite opening sequence of all-time, and all-round great perfomances from every cast member young and old, "Boy" stands as one of the best films of the decade. Seriously, the first 3 minutes of this film are so good, you can't possibly tear yourself away. Witty dialogue and out of the ordinary situations will keep you laughing, but make no mistake this film is very capable of reaching deep inside of you finding your heart strings and tugging on them. Stellar perfromance from the film's young stars, James Rolleston (Who was 11 at the time) and Te Aho Eketone (6 years) are without a doubt some of the best acting you will ever see come out of such small bodies. Accompanied by heartfelt and sincere Waititi himself who plays the boy's estranged father, it's safe to say the acting gets an A+.

The film isn't without it's technical flaws, but it's strenths shine so bright that they are easily masked. If you're looking for something different this film is for you. So be warned,this film is something different. To give a general synopsis, it's a story about a fantasy-prone pre-teen and his little brother who is convinced he has super powers who spend their spare time talking to their pet goat and harvesting marajuana with their misfit group of friends after school. So, as I said, it may be a little too off-kay for the popcorn movie-goer, but it's far more accessable than Waititi's directoral debut "Eagle vs. Shark", which is....original, yet odd. Mostly odd. Okay, I'm being generous, it's bonkers.... but I liked it!

Now available to anyone with access to a Netflix account "Boy" is right at your finger tips, and I highly recommend it! What are you waiting for?

SUICIDE SQUAD

At some point in the Summer of 2012 DC and Marvel passed eachother like ships in the night. Marvel's Avengers took took the nation by storm, and forever changed entertainment, meanwhile Christpher Nolan wrapped up the conclusion to his Dark Knight trilogy, which besides Michael Keaton, was probably the best thing to ever happen to DC. DC has been left in the dust ever since. Even the other Marvel Cineatic Universe is putting them to shame. (you know, the one with X-Men, Wolverine, Deadpool and the Fantastic 4?) With duds like Man of Steel, and Batman v Superman DC needed a savior. We thought Suicide Squad was that savior. We believed that surely,this one won't suck. Certainly they'll get it right this time. We were wrong. We were all wrong. Now DC fans are bewildered and making up excuses, and trying to explain that the movie doesn't actually suck. I've heard everything from "I think Marvel paid off Rotten Tomatoes to give Suicide Squad a bad review" Why on earth would the now top selling movie franchise of all time give two craps abobut what reviews DC gets. My favorite defense of the film was "Hey, Margot Robbie is super hot". I mean, yeah, if you're a giant penis with eyes who has no appreciation for anything that resembles art then: 1. This is the movie for you, and 2. You should try porn. Actually no, just sit down and watch "The Wolf of Wall Street" you get to see alot more Margot Robbie. Like, a lot more. DC fans even went as far as starting a petition to have Rotten Tomatoes shut down! As if it's Rotten Tomatoe's fault that this movie is crap! So, what did I really think of this film? Warning: I don't really hold back.

What a mess. I mean, really this movie looks like it was edited by a 9th grader taking his first intro to video class. This movie could easily be called "Will Smith, Margot Robbie and some characters you often forget are there." Or "People you don't care about walking through an abandoned, post-apocaplytpic city reminiscent of a set from the Walking Dead." Either way, So what exactly is wrong with this film? JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING! The theme, the writing, the acting, the costume design, the set design, the fact that this movie is difficult to follow, and not on purpose! This is a bad, bad, bad movie. It quickly becomes very clear that this movie cannot commit to a theme. One moment it's trying to convince us it's Deadpool, sleezily humorous with a hint of vulgarity (minus the blatant self-awareness that made Deadpool enjoyable), then it tries really hard to convince us that it's "The Dark Knight". A dark and gritty realistic take at saving the world.  Then it tell us hey this movie is actually a serious, raw, extreme action movie, and attempts to take a serious tone to remind us how dramatic and slow-motion-y saving the world really is. And there are some points where I stop and think "What is the theme here? What are they trying to conv....wait did that guy just turn into a giant burning tiki charm? Yes. Yes he did. 

In addition to the theme(s), this is one of the most horribly written movies you will ever see. Each of our proganists is referred to as a "gang banger" at least 3 times. Ever heard of a synonym? It feels like it was written by a couple of geeks who were determined to include their favorite insults they use while playing Magic: The Gathering. Some of the lines in this movie cut me deep, and I can't get the poison out of my soul. Classic lines including "Are you the devil?" to which the person asked responds "maybe..." and the memorable "Welcome to the party, Mr. Boomerang!" and lastly my personal favorite "Lady... You're evil." None of which are in an ironic tone. Did I mention this film is hard to follow? Here's an example: At one point when the team is assembled and taking off in a helicpoter (by the way, every helicopter in this movie crashes and everyone one board survives!) in jumps a rogue samurai?? Then there's this weird, out of place flash back to her husband's death, and then we jump back to the present, and like that, in the span of about 5 seconds, we are awkwardly introduced to a new character that we are suppoed to care about. And when the audience can figure out what's going on the writing ruins it. Anotehr example: Later in the film that character is seen speaking to her sword. Her sword has a ghostly glow to it, and the viewer can easily put together that she's speaking to her dead husband. The viewer subconciously says "Oh, she's talking to her dead husband." Then the camera pans over to another character who says "By the way, the man that killed her husband used that sword and like... his spirit is trapped inside, and stuff, and she's talking to him" Thank you for explain what we just figured out 2 secons ago! This disaster of a movie is filled with moments like this.

This brings me to the acting, it's bland, and the cast doesn't seem very interested in creating any kind of illusion that they believe in what we're doing. The one bright spot is Will Smith, who portrays a serial killer who's actually a really good guy (it makes sense if you don't think about it. Big Willy's charm and charisma bring him some laughs, which are deserved. Margot Robbie plays a piece of meat that we've been somehow convinced is a strong female character that the feminists can root for. She tries so hard to convey depth in her character, but it just comes across awkard, and she trust falls into a vat of acid, so there's that. Jared Leto is an amazing actor, but this is a far cry from the performance of the decade he gave in "Dallas Buyer's Club". His version of the Joker is flat and uninteresting. His Scareface/Tupac like demeanor truly fail to capture the true spirit of the Joker. There's also a gian alligator man who dressed like Ali G, a Hispanic version of the human torch, a Tom Hardy look alike, who's super power is throwing boomerangs, and some other people who are just kind of there, but in the climactic battle we're supposed to remember they're important.

In conclusion, I think DC could fix a lot of their problems if they just shifted course a little bit. HIRE GOOD WRITERS! Hire people who have proven they know how to work character development, who can entertain us with interesting dialogue, not the guys who directed moves bout tanks blowing up and explosions. I once described Zak Snyder as a Michael Bay who thinks he's Christopher Nolan, which in many ways is worse. You have to look at what has made Marvel successful. 1. They are incredibly self aware. Ant Man is a perfect example! It's a movie about a super hero who shrinks! of course they're going to make it light hearted and funny, and never at any point does it take itself too seriously. Then look at what they're doing for Thor: Ragnarok! They brought in Taika Watiti, a man who is building a reputation for making enjoyable, well written movies uncluding the likes of "Boy" and "What we do in the Shadows". That being said, DC and Warner Brothers are making money, so maybe the trainwreck isn't going to stop anytime soon. I seriously can't say there's much good in "Suicide Squad", I was begging for it to be over an hour into it. You want my advice? If you really want to see this movie, wait until it hits Redbox, then see it for a dollar. Then petition to have Redbox shut down for wasting 2 hours of your precious time on this earth.