Cinema Spotlight II – Taika Waititi (Part 6): ‘Jojo Rabbit’

Jojo (Roman Griffin Davis) talking with Adolf (Taikia Waititi).

This isn't the first comedy to lampoon the Nazi Party. From Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator, The Producers from Mel Brooks, even cartoon characters like Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Donald Duck had their respective shorts in Herr Meets Hare, Daffy the Commando and Der Fuehrer's Face. Roberto Benigni's Life is Beautiful being the most recent and the only I believe that takes place during the Holocaust. Taikia Waititi gives his take in this loose adaptation of Christine Leunens' bittersweet novel.  

Better Late Than Never Vol. 6

It's that time of the year when all the highly anticipated movies start to arrive and I try to watch a couple I missed during the summer.

Parasite is a Powerful Parable

The movies from South Korean director Bong Joon-ho are never afraid to address hefty topics. The Host (not to be confused with the Stephanie Meyer movie of the same name) showcased environmental issues, foreign country relationships and media manipulation amidst the monster movie backdrop and family-drama plot. Snowpiercer (which is basically if Mad Max took place on a train during the Ice Age) displayed the clash between the privileged and the poor and Okja unveiled the horrors of animal abuse and corporate greed.

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil is a Misleading Misfire

My what big horns you have.

While there have a been a few live-action Disney remakes that have been surprisingly good, I can't say the same for sequels of live-action Disney remakes. When was the last time 102 Dalmatians and Alice Through the Looking Glass were talked in a positive light? If you were expecting Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, to break that curse, you are sadly mistaken.

Double Feature: The Addams Family & Gemini Man

The Addams Family return for a new generation and Will Smith battles himself from a younger generation.