Yesterday I wrote about Interior Chinatown and how I was drawn to it because I found out that Taika Waititi was involved in the show. That got me thinking about his other work that I have enjoyed. As I was researching in order to create a top 10 list, I realized there is a lot of his content that I have not seen yet. I will remedy that ASAP. But for now, here is this Geeky Guy's list of best Taiki Waititi projects.
Before I begin, I need to give a special mention to Our Flag Means Death. Sadly my wife and daughter watched this without me and they loved it. I plan on catching up on this over the summer.
Interior Chinatown - I just wrote a complete guide to this one. But it is a really cool idea that hit a home run for 7 episodes before falling off a little for the last 3 episodes. It features great comedic performances by Lisa Gilroy and Ronny Chieng in a show within a show.
Thor Love and Thunder - I think I'm one of teh few people that actually liked this movie. It is not the best marvel movie but there are some cool action scenes and of course there is some Waititi humor. Waititi's performance as Korg is just a cherry on top.
The Mandalorian (Director and voice of IG-11) - Waititi directed one very entertaining episode (Season 1's Redemption) and played IG-11 in 6 episodes. I love any voice over work he does and this is no exception.
What We Do in the Shadows (TV Show) - A mockumentary about modern vampires? I'm in. The only reason I didn't rank it as high as the movie is that Waititi only plays Viago in 3 episodes.
Hunt for the Wilderpeople - It was tough arranging 6 through 2. They are all so good and have different things going for them If you have not seen this movie, it is a must see. Without giving away any spoilers, it involves the bond of an old man who hates kids with a young foster child who hates adults. It reminded me a lot of another excellent film: The Peanut-butter Falcon.
Flight of the Conchords - Heart and humor (Wilderpeople) or pure comedy (Conchords) this was a tough one. But flight of the Conchords is so clever and funny that I had to give it the edge. This show tells the story of folk musicians from New Zealand who try to make it big in New York city. There are also tons of really entertaining side characters.
What We Do in the Shadows (Movie) - This is my favorite mockumentary since This is Spinal Tap. If you ever wondered what it would be like to be a modern day Vampire, this show takes you behind the scenes. It is really funny and showcases Waititi's best character: Viago.
Jojo Rabbit- Wow. Just wow. Who would have thought a movie set during WWII Germany centering around a young boy whose imaginary friend is Hitler could make you laugh and cry so much. I am a huge fan of satire and heroes. And this one has lots of both. This film won Waititi an OSCAR for Best Adapted Screenplay and Scarlett Johansson should have won an Oscar for Best Supporting actress. It also features one of the best performances by a young actress that I have seen in many years. Thomasin McKenzie was simply amazing. There are actually not enough awards to go around for this movie.
Reservation Dogs- Obviously I loved Jojo Rabbit so how could anything beat it? Well Reservation Dogs is one of the most unique shows I have ever seen. It is about a group of teens living on a Native American reservation who are trying to get through life after one of their friends dies. Almost nothing happens in this show... yet everything happens in this show. It is simple. It is about life, friendship and family. The characters are so compelling that just watching them eat fry bread is worth your time. It's not very funny. It's not very sad. It's not very exciting. It's just very wonderful. If you need something pleasant and calm to watch, check out Reservation Dogs.
Thor: Ragnarok - This is cheating. I'm a huge geek who loves superheroes so this wasn't even fair. Thor Ragnarok is the most entertaining super hero movie I have ever seen. The action, music and humor are all perfect. It may not have the deep scenes that Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers End game have, but it makes up for that by being one of my favorite popcorn movies of all time. Plus Waititi is hilarious as Korg.
What do you guys think? What did I mess up?