
So far in 2016, by far my two favorite movies have come from New Zealand. David Farrier's "Tickled" and now the brilliant Taika Waititi's highly anticipated "Hunt for the Wilderpeople". It delivers in a big way. To put it simply, this film is really good. I mean really really good. No, listen. You should just take a gander at the score it got on rotten tomatoes. Go have a look, I'll wait.... Yeah? Yeah, it's that good. A genuinely powerful message executed in a blanket of off-kilter hilarity Wilderpeople is the follow up to Waititi's 2012 indie hit "Boy" that we both deserved and needed. I may be going on a limb here, but we may have a front-runner for Best Motion Picture at the Oscars, at the very least a dark horse contender. A cast full exceptional performances from some familiar faces including Same Neil, you remember him, he's Dr. Grant from Jurrasic Park, Rhys Darby as Psycho Sam, you know Rhys Darby, he's Murray from Flight of the Conchords, and of course, Mr. Taika Waititi makes an appearance himself. None of these performances, however can eclipse the heartfelt and genuine performance of the film's lead, newcomer Juliann Dennison who at 13 years old brilliant portrays the legenday Ricky Baker. If you're not sold just think of your favorite Pixar Movie. Up? It's Up, isn't it? This is the closest thing to a live action version of Up you can get! Grumpy old man wants to be left alone, lonely ethnic kid wants to be loved and accepted, by complete accident they embark on a journey that leads to everlasting friendship and trust, and there you have it! I highly recommend this film to anyone who wants an uplifting, enjoyable experience. If you're not into those things, might I suggest watching tonight's Presidential debate.