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Men In Black 3

It’s not a sequel that needed to be made, but thanks to the charm of its leads and a tone that harks back to the wit and humour of the original, it’s a pretty enjoyable trip.

Bel Ami

The excellent female support cast saves this patchy effort, which is let down by its leading man and a flat screenplay.

The Dictator

A disappointing, often repulsive and mean-spirited mess of a film with seemingly only one real criterion on its agenda: to shock and offend.

The Woman In Black

Packed with atmosphere, this old-fashioned but deftly told ghost story delivers ample chills and thrills.

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Boy (Film)

by Julian Shaw | August 23, 2010 16:26 | Edited August 23, 2010 16:28

Beautifully realised and touching on serious issues, this moving film is propelled by big laughs and an even bigger heart.

Since its relatively recent release across the ditch, Boy has become the highest grossing New Zealand film of all time. Is this meteoric rise deserved? Absolutely. This is a "local" film to savour - it has wit, artistry and beautifully observed humour in spades, and offers world class laughs from first frame to last.

 

Sometimes the most memorable depictions of life's darker side come in the form of comedies. That is the case with Boy, which through the most breezy and lambent of direction by Taika Waititi manages to touch on issues such as gambling, drug abuse and absent parents with heartbreaking clarity.

 

Set in 1984, the film never leaves the tiny community of New Zealand's coastal Waihau Bay. This is the domain of eleven-year-old Boy (James Rolleston), who lives on a farm with his grandma. Left on the lam when she goes away, Boy's life gets turned upside down by the unexpected appearance of his long absent father, Alamein (Taika Waititi). Having envisaged his dad as everything from a war hero to a rugby God, Boy must now contend with the reality of a doped-out, low-end crim who is only in town to dig up a sack of loot that he buried years prior.

 

Helmer Waititi is a real-deal multi-hyphenate; it's always a gamble to act and direct, but this one pays off handsomely. Everything from the treacle-thuck rural accents to the eighties costuming is picture perfect, but these would be airless affectation without a big heart - and Boy has an absolute surplus of the latter. There is little of the pneumatic quirkiness often found in films from Down Under, and every eccentricity on display here is character-driven and fleshed out.

 

Boy is the comedy of the year, and without doubt the most moving. Now that's a winning combo, bro.