Hunt for the Wilderpeople: Kiwi Capers

Do you know what people don't see enough of in the movie theatre? Kiwis. And I don't mean the fruit or the bird - I mean the people of New Zealand. Their country is gorgeous and has been showcased to great effect in the Lord of the Rings movies, but stories about the people who actually live there rarely come to my attention. Thankfully, remedying that gap is Taika Waititi's spectacular Hunt for the Wilderpeople, a movie that is currently available on demand and should be watched by everyone immediately.

The movie starts off simply enough. Ricky Baker (Julian Dennison) is a foster kid who has caused no end of trouble. He has been shuffled around from family to family and is almost on his way to juvenile detention when he arrives at the farm of "Aunt" Bella (Rima Te Wiata). Bella is every foster child's fantasy - a loving, warm, and abundantly forgiving woman who knows exactly how to take care of the wary Ricky and get him to trust in human beings again. Her husband, Hec (Sam Neill), is decidedly not a fantasy foster parent - he is a gruff man of little words, and he mostly keeps out of Ricky's way. However, he loves Bella and if she wants to take in a foster kid, he is not going to object. In fact, she took him into her heart when he was a bit of a lost soul, so he certainly understands what Bella can do for someone in need of some love and attention.

Unfortunately, within the first twenty minutes of the movie, Bella dies. And while that is terrifically sad, what follows is a brilliant buddy comedy of sorts, as Ricky and Hec end up camping and trekking in the wilds of New Zealand while they attempt to evade capture from the local authorities. I won't go into how exactly they find themselves in that situation, but suffice to say, there's nothing more heartwarming and hilarious than watching a young Maori kid and a gruff older white man work together and slowly become friends, and finally, family.

Write-director Taika Waititi is clearly a filmmaker to watch. The entire aesthetic of this movie is reminiscent of a Wes Anderson film; it is beautifully shot (to be fair, any tale set in the wilds of New Zealand is beautiful by default) and divided into discrete chapters that are paced perfectly. The script is brimming with amusing asides and absurd meta jokes that keep the audience entertained for every second. It manages to be sweet without being overly sentimental, and funny without devolving into a farce. As over-the-top as its plot and characters are, it is grounded in the simple premise that everyone is just looking for someone to alleviate their loneliness, and sometimes you must go to extraordinary lengths to find a place where you belong. This movie made me want to seek out more stories by and about New Zealanders (first stop will be the book this movie is based on), but while I do that, I exhort you to watch Hunt for the Wilderpeople and see what you've been missing.

Florence Foster Jenkins: It Ain't Over Till She Sings

Florence Foster Jenkins is a crowd-pleasing biopic that is filled with excellent performances and delivers plenty of laughs. It is also the reason I went to the Met Opera last week to see The Magic Flute - I needed to hear what the Queen of the Night's aria is supposed to sound like when it isn't being butchered by Meryl Streep.

Set in 1944 New York, Streep stars as the eponymous Jenkins, a fabulously wealthy woman who loves to sing but is terrible at doing so. Hugh Grant plays St. Clair Bayfield, her loving husband who indulges her every whim and doesn't have the heart to tell his dear Florence that she can't sing worth a damn. As a result, when she decides to entertain the masses with a musicale, he must spend weeks bribing journalists and organizing a massive parade of toadies who will listen to Florence's warbling with nary a word except to praise her rapturously and demand encores. He hires Cosme McMoon (Simon Helberg), a very serious and ambitious pianist, to be her accompanist, and the first time Cosme hears Florence sing, his consternation is wondrous to behold. However, St. Clair convinces Cosme to stay, and what follows is a hilarious and moving partnership.

I don't think I need to sell anyone on this film. It stars Meryl Streep, which is an automatic guarantee of its quality, and she is unsurprisingly phenomenal in it. We all know she can sing, so what is truly extraordinary is how terribly she sings throughout this film. Yet Florence is such a lovable lady and has such a tragic backstory that you cannot help but treat her like all her closest friends - you want her to succeed and be protected from the truth, because she genuinely seems like she has a heart of gold. Hugh Grant walks quite the tightrope in this film, playing a supportive, besotted husband, who still has a lady on the side; it is credit to his dapper British charm that at no point do you find yourself remotely troubled by his actions. However, the true surprise to me was Simon Helberg, who manages to steal almost every scene he's in and holds his own against Streep and Grant. His character is very quiet, but the expressions on his face scream louder than any dialogue, and he brings the comedy to the forefront.

Florence Foster Jenkins is an amuse-bouche of a film. It is light and airy, and while it isn't frightfully sustaining on its own, it contains enough effervescent charm to make you glad you saw it. The performances are striking, the pace is just right, and the story is refreshingly novel. If you're slogging through drearier awards show fare, take a break with this film and watch how director Stephen Frears has skilfully put together all the right elements to concoct the perfect pick-me-up.

Captain Fantastic: A Fabulous Family

Captain Fantastic is a movie I put off watching for a while because I foolishly expected it to be weird or sad. However, having finally seen it, I discovered a movie that is funny, charming, and moving. Definitely still weird, but thoroughly entertaining.

The film stars Viggo Mortensen as Ben Cash, a man who is raising his six children in the wilderness of the Pacific Northwest. In the opening scenes of the movie, it seems like these people might be living in some sort of Lord of the Flies-esque manner, but you quickly discover that these might be the most erudite bunch of savages you've ever met. Ben homeschools the children and they are well versed in quantum entanglement and Victorian literature, with the youngest child able to converse intelligently on topics that would stump a college student. If you're wondering where their mother is: her fate will drive the rest of this movie. She has been away for three months due to an ongoing battle with mental illness, and when she finally loses that battle, this unconventional family sets off on a journey into the real world to attend her funeral. Yes, it's a sad premise, but believe me, there's plenty to make you smile as they make their way.

Mortensen anchors the film with a powerful performance that captures all the nuances of this character. He has the difficult task of making the audience empathize with a man who could seem almost too cruel in the treatment of his children (in fact he is accused of abusing them with the unconventional lifestyle that he and his wife have adopted toward child-rearing). However, at no point do you falter in your belief that this is a man who loves his children, and while he might be the most liberal hippie you've ever seen on screen, he never teeters into complete caricature. This is most apparent when he has to deal with other adults (the supporting cast includes such stalwarts as Frank Langella, Margo Martindale, and Kathyrn Hahn), who are people he respectfully disagrees with whilst exhibiting no condescension. There are a few moments when he becomes a crazed loon, but those are generally moments when he is broken down by grief  and you cannot fault him for it.

However, the true stars of this movie are the children. Every single child actor in this movie delivers a spectacular performance, charming the audience with their peculiar blend of innocence and intelligence. They make it clear that no matter how bizarre this family is, they feel loved and supported by one another and share a tight bond that will last them through any tragedy. George MacKay, who plays the eldest son, is a particularly fine actor who is certain to go on to many more great projects. He holds his own against Mortensen and delivers a brilliant performance that captures the true dilemma that these children face - they know everything there is to know from books, but absolutely nothing about how to live in the real world.

Written and directed by Matt Scott, Captain Fantastic is a marvelous flight of fancy, an examination of that secret desire we all have to just run away into the woods and live life on our own terms. It's a nice wish, but the movie unveils how the fantasy can't measure up to reality and at the end of the day, we're all just doing our best to get by. It's a funny and moving family drama and while you may not be a part of this family, you'll be grateful you get to at least spend two hours with them. 

Dangal: Bollywood at Its Best

2016 has been a heinous year but at least it is ending with an Aamir Khan movie. And what a movie. Much like Lagaan, Dangal is a sports movie that transcends the genre, making you laugh, cry, and cheer for a blissful two and half hours. This is cinematic entertainment at its finest, conveying humor, warmth, and a message that is hammered home without being too preachy. It's a feat worthy of a gold medal.

The movie tells the true-life story of Mahavir Singh Phogat (played by Aamir Khan) and his two daughters Geeta and Babita (played by Zaira Wasim and Suhani Bhatnagar as children, and Fatima Sana Shaikh and Sanya Malhotra as adults). Mahavir was a wrestler with ambitions of winning a gold in international competition, but given the general lack of infrastructure and support for such ambitions, he was forced to abandon his dreams and get a job instead. He decides he will have a son who will win the gold medal he could not get himself, at which point his wife proceeds to give birth to four daughters in rapid succession. Mahavir puts aside his dreams, but one day, when an irate woman appears on his doorstep to complain that his two eldest daughters, Geeta and Babita, have mercilessly beat her sons to a pulp, it dawns on Mahavir that a gold is a gold regardless of the gender of the child who wins it. And from there we launch into a surprisingly feminist tale that is all the more remarkable for its being a true story.

The soundtrack by Pritam, with gleefully irreverent and funny lyrics by Amitabh Bhattacharya, is the perfect accompaniment to this film. The title track is one of those rousing numbers that make it impossible not to pump your fist and each song is calculated to make you cheer for Geeta and Babita as they go around wrestling men and women to the ground. The moral of the story is pretty typical Indian fare - don't treat your daughters as housewives who are incapable of anything more than getting married and having children. It's sad that this still needs to be said in 2016, but at least it's being said in a more spirited and enthusiastic fashion than any other Bollywood movie I've seen to date. There are also plenty of digs at India's unimpressive Olympic and international sports record, highlighting the corruption and bureaucracy that ensure a country of more than a billion people can still find it so impossible to win a gold medal every four years. Like with every Aamir Khan film, I imagine there will be some kind of public outcry and India will win twenty gold medals at the next international sporting event. But more importantly, I hope there will be many girls who are inspired to cut their hair, slap on some shorts (oh the horror of bared legs!), and go out into the world with the confidence that their purpose is not restricted to household chores.

Dangal is a glorious movie, one that manages to educate and entertain in equal measure without being sanctimonious. Thanks to co-writer and director Nitesh Tiwari, it also moves at a brisk pace and is incredibly funny, full of situations and one-liners that keep the tone light and breezy. Special mention must also be given to Kripa Shankar Bishnoi, the coach who trained the actors for the wrestling sequences that pepper the entire film - I was spellbound for every expertly choreographed match, despite knowing nothing about wrestling when I went into the theatre. If you've never seen a Bollywood movie before, this is probably an excellent way to start. You won't be bored for an instant, and you'll learn a lot about wrestling, traditional Indian culture, and the modern women (and supportive fathers) who are demolishing those traditions in the best possible way. 

La La Land: A Magical Musical

I saw La La Land on Tuesday and four days later, I find that I am still unable to stop singing "City of Stars". Much like that song, this movie will burrow its way into your brain and stay there for a long time. And like many great movies, the reasons to love it are varied, mysterious, and somewhat indescribable. But let's try to describe them anyway.

The movie stars Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling as Mia and Sebastian, two people who have come to Los Angeles to achieve their dreams. Mia is an actress, but since she can't actually land a job, she's a barista in a coffee shop on the Warner Brothers lot. Sebastian is a jazz pianist who desperately wants to open his own club but instead is forced to play tepid "elevator music" in restaurants for tips. The two meet, do not fall in love, then meet again, and the romance blossoms in spectacular Hollywood fashion. While the movie is set in the present day, it is a throwback to 50s musicals from the Golden Age of Hollywood, and is packed with references and musical numbers that bring to mind Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, and more.

Despite the nostalgia it evokes, this is still a 2016 movie, which means that it does not traffic solely in providing light entertainment. It is an aesthetic marvel, from each of Emma Stone's sumptuous outfits, to the twinkly sets, to the fantastical sequences that depict the lovers falling in love; but it is also extremely bittersweet and calculated to elicit a tear as much as a smile. In spite of the singing and dancing, it takes a frank look at the difference between falling in love and then building a life together. We get to see the progression of Mia and Sebastian's relationship and the realization of their ambitions, and the movie's epilogue is a sweeping musical odyssey that showcases everything that is sad and beautiful about their tale.

The music by Justin Hurwitz and lyrics by Pasek and Paul are alternately romantic, fun, haunting, and goosebump-inducing. Gosling and Stone are not the world's greatest singers and dancers, and while they gamely attempt the songs and choreography, they lack the panache and confidence I expect from an Astaire and Rogers musical. But they make up for that with sheer charm and star power. They have the most wonderfully expressive faces, a fact that the director latches on to with multiple close-up shots that allow you to marvel at what these two people are able to do with a single glance. There's a spellbindingly tactile moment when their hands touch that makes your fingers tingle and reminds you of the power of cinema to transport you into another realm. Stone, in particular, has eyes that seem to grab my soul and turn it inside out, while Gosling's smile and saunter are the swoon-worthy stuff dreams are made of.

La La Land is a dreamy blend of fantasy and real life that makes one wish we spent more time randomly breaking into song in our cars than flipping each other off on the freeway (both things that happen at the beginning of the movie, thereby highlighting the cruel intersection of whimsy and reality). Writer-director Damien Chazelle has managed to make yet another wondrous movie, and much like Whiplash, he ties everything together with a resoundingly emphatic ending that will uplift and destroy you all in one go. La La Land is not exactly the movie I was expecting to see when I walked into the theatre, but I haven't managed to forget it since I walked out. 

American Housewife: Hysterical Insights

If you want to end 2016 with a laugh, you must pick up a copy of American Housewife: Stories by Helen Ellis. This bizarre collection of short stories about housewives across the country will make your brain explode with delight. Like a cross between George Saunders and David Sedaris, except if both were bored housewives living out insane fantasies, Helen Ellis unveils the twisted inner workings of the most overlooked branch of the populace and ensures you will never talk to a housewife ever again without experiencing mild terror.

I was hooked after reading the first two pages of this book. Opening with a short essay entitled, "What I Do All Day," Ellis gives us such gems as, "Back home, I get a sickening feeling and find out it's just my husband's coat hung the wrong way in a closet. I break into a sweat when I find a Sharpie cap but not the pen." These mundane observations keep accumulating until every sentence elicits a chuckle and a sense of wonderment at this woman's ability to string words together in effervescent combinations. This is followed by "The Wainscoting War," an epistolary tale narrated via the e-mails exchanged by two feuding neighbors that quickly escalates into an epic battle akin to something out of Game of Thrones. We then get "Dumpster Diving with the Stars," an incisive look at reality television and celebrity culture, followed by "Southern Lady Code," which tells you everything you ever wanted to know about what Southern ladies really mean when they say, "She's the nicest person."

The stories in this book can be divided into two broad categories: short snippets that offer up truly great advice about how to live your life (read "How to Be a Grown-Ass Lady" and learn the following: "If you don't like something someone says, say: 'That's interesting.' If you like something someone says, say: 'That's interesting!'"); and crazy tales that devolve into murder, vengeance, or Shakespearean levels of tragicomedy. Stories like "The Fitter," about a man who has the gift to find any woman the perfect bra, are incredibly funny and then suddenly go dark, whilst other tales, like "Hello! Welcome to Book Club" are seething with a passive-aggressive geniality that you can't quite comprehend until the narrator slowly winds through all the introductions and unveils what this Book Club is all about.

By the time you get to the book's final story, "My Novel Is Brought to You by the Good People at Tampax," you know what to expect in terms of tone, but still have no idea what to expect in terms of story. Ellis does not disappoint, ending her collection with an absolute corker of a tale that manages to touch on the publishing industry, corporate branding, social media, kidnapping, and blackmail. The insanity relentlessly builds on itself until you are completely invested in the narrator and her horrific struggle with her corporate overlords, i.e. "The Good People at Tampax."

I have never been more delighted by a book and more sad to finish it. Each story reminded me of a P.G. Wodehouse novel, with every sentence meticulously crafted and guaranteed to provoke joy. Given that women were accused of being "hysterical" for centuries, Ellis has captured the most incredible sense of hysteria in this collection, taking all the everyday worries and concerns that women face and amplifying them into hyperbolic fantasies that manage to both unsettle and delight the reader in equal measure. American Housewife: Stories should be essential reading for anyone who has ever wondered what women are really thinking; though I must assure you, I am generally worrying more about uncapped Sharpies than murdering my doorman.