#110: Two movies I'll never stop talking about
plus my favorite comedian.
Hello everyone, happy Friday,
I love movies and today I’m declaring my undying love for two films that are special to me and always will be. They speak in a loud, quirky voice to my taste in movies.
I also want to mention my favorite comedian, Nate Bargatze, who has a new special on Prime Video. Here we go!
Hunt for the Wilderpeople
Writer/Director Taika Waititi is probably a household name by now, but in case you haven’t heard of him, he’s a Kiwi filmmaker who won the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for his 2019 film Jojo Rabbit.1 He directed a couple big budget Thor movies for Marvel (one I liked, one I didn’t), is one of the creators of Reservations Dogs (a Hulu show I love) and has several exciting projects in the works.
Hunt for the Wilderpeople is on Netflix right now and it’s great! Julian Dennison plays a troubled kid in New Zealand named Ricky, who kicks around the foster care system until finding love and acceptance with Hector (Sam Neill) and Bella (Rima Te Wiata) out in the countryside. Due to unfortunate events, he has to go on the run in the bush to avoid getting thrown in juvie.
Julian Dennison is at the perfect age to pull off the punk with a heart of gold. I feel like Sam Neill gets to be his true bushwacking self as he tries to mentor young Ricky. It is silly humor, but has an emotional core that makes the whole thing endearing. The best part? It is based on a book: Wild Pork and Watercress by Barry Crump, which I also recommend.2 Different tone, but highly enjoyable in its own way. Let me know if you watch it!
Sing Street
I love this movie so much. I wish I could go back and watch it again for the first time, but I’ll settle for just watching it again and again. I don’t remember how this movie entered my life because I had never heard of the writer/director or any of the actors. But gosh they are charming.
It takes place in 1980s Dublin and is about a group of misfits who start a band and make music videos. The band is led by Conor, played by Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, who wanted a way to impress his crush Raphina (Lucy Boynton). The band’s raison d'être eventually evolves into so much more.
The best part? It’s a brother story. Jack Reynor plays Conor’s older brother, and the guy is inspiring. This film made my end of decade best of list and I hope you check it out.
Hello World
Nate Bargatze is a funny dude. His latest special, Hello World, is streaming on Prime Video. I had the pleasure of seeing him live when he came to Denver and I couldn’t keep myself from belly laughing the full hour.
He also has an episode in Season 1 of The Standups on Netflix and two full hour Netflix specials. It’s all great.
Bonus feature: He’s clean, so you don’t have to wait until the kids are in bed! Here’s a quick sample from Hello World.
What are you reading, watching, and enjoying lately? I’d love to hear!
Kyle
Great, great film, but his Oscars acceptance speech was a little rough. I don’t think he expected to win over Greta Gerwig’s brilliant Little Women screenplay or Todd Phillips’ Joker screenplay.
Literate Cinephiles did a podcast episode way back when and you can check that out wherever you get your podcasts. (Here’s a direct link to the episode just in case).
You found Sing Street on a plane to London! :)
Two satisfying movies worth rewatching.
For so many years it seemed like Sam Neill was in everything, so to see him suddenly old was kind of a shock. But how great he is in that part.
And what a magical ending to Sing Street.