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[olimario]

I bought Whale Rider for 5 bucks at Target (after giftcard) on a whim and watched it last night. All I had ever heard is that Keisha Castle-Hughes was a good little actress that was nominated for an Academy Award for this movie.

Anyhow, the story in the movie is predictable and cliche, but it was so very fresh, entertaining, and involving. All of the acting is top notch and it really holds the film together and the movie is shot very simply and beautifully. The sounds are real and rich and even though there isn't much music, you're senses remain pleased throughout.

And let me just say

Spoiler

I've never seen more REAL emotion spill from an actor than I did when Keisha is reading her speech about her grandfather

It was moving.

I must know what GAF thought, because I'm having a hard time locating this film's flaws.

 

[belgurdo]

I am, like, so goth right now

 

[shuri]

Anyhow, the story in the movie is predictable and cliche, but it was so very fresh, flaws.

What an awesome reviewer you are. Predictable, cliche YET SO FRESH

 

[olimario]

What an awesome reviewer you are. Predictable, cliche YET SO FRESH

It was. I was able to say exactly what was going to happen before it happened, but I remained entertained because of the all the well portrayed relationships in the film. Watching it I stayed to thoroughly engrossed in what was going on.

 

[happyfunball]

I remember it being a mighty fine sentimental movie. At the end of the movie, my gf and just about every other woman in attendance was tearing up.

 

[Miroku]

I liked it a lot.

 

[Matlock]

It stinks!

(in before Meier's hyperbolous review)

 

[olimario]

I think Keira Castle-Hughes is a better little actress than Dakota Fanning. She's more sincere and a lot prettier.

On the whole, you'd be hard pressed to find a movie with better acting. Each role is absolutely perfect.

<3

 

[blindrocket]

She's a good actress and it's a good film.

Spoiler

I thought the film was going to end whenever she tried to die, I was kind of glad it didn't.

 

[Warm Machine]

I think Keira Castle-Hughes is a better little actress than Dakota Fanning. She's more sincere and a lot prettier.

On the whole, you'd be hard pressed to find a movie with better acting. Each role is absolutely perfect.

<3

She's been in what, two movies and one with a speaking part and you think she's better than Dakota? Dakota has a longer list of films with a wider range of characters. She certainly shows potential but she can't be compared to Dakota just yet. Neither of the are Haley though.

 

[olimario]

She's been in what, two movies and one with a speaking part and you think she's better than Dakota? Dakota has a longer list of films with a wider range of characters. She certainly shows potential but she can't be compared to Dakota just yet. Neither of the are Haley though.

I've seen her in one and I think it's enough to decide. She played a role very different from how she seems in real life and showed more raw emotion than I've seen any other actor show. I was more impressed with her here than I was with Haley in 6th Sense or with Dakota in War of the Worlds.

If more movies prove she's less of an actor than she was in Whale Rider then I'll retract my statement, but Whale Rider will still be the movie that has the best child acting I've seen.

 

[Lil' Dice]

Wasn't she also in EP3?

 

[Guzim]

Wasn't she also in EP3?

Yes.

 

[Particle Physicist]

I think Keira Castle-Hughes is a better little actress than Dakota Fanning. She's more sincere and a lot prettier.

On the whole, you'd be hard pressed to find a movie with better acting. Each role is absolutely perfect.

<3

i agree, she is also not annoying at all, and doesnt have an air of pretension like miss dakota does.

 

[Particle Physicist]

She's been in what, two movies and one with a speaking part and you think she's better than Dakota? Dakota has a longer list of films with a wider range of characters. She certainly shows potential but she can't be compared to Dakota just yet. Neither of the are Haley though.

dakota is not a good actress, she's just a little girl that sounds older than she is. people love that shit, "ooooh shes so smart! she was like, 'hello mr. roberts, how are you on this fine day?' have you ever heard a doll so young speak like that!?" she's not good at conveying emotion, all she really does is memorize lines and repeats them. ex: War of the Worlds. her little 'emotional' crying/screaming was horrid. and exactly the same every time.

 

[Chony]

I loved it. I teared up. Im a man.

 

[Lil' Dice]

dakota is not a good actress, she's just a little girl that sounds older than she is. people love that shit, "ooooh shes so smart! she was like, 'hello mr. roberts, how are you on this fine day?' have you ever heard a doll so young speak like that!?" she's not good at conveying emotion, all she really does is memorize lines and repeats them. ex: War of the Worlds. her little 'emotional' crying/screaming was horrid. and exactly the same every time.

Exactly. She'll be snorting coke off some male prostitue's ass by the time she hits 15.

 

[Jesus Carbomb]

Not enough whale ridin' imo.

 

[GhaleonEB]

To paraphase Roger Ebert, it's what a movie is about, it's how it is about it. The story (female empowerment) was simple, but but was told in an honest way about good people doing what they believe.

I saw it at in-laws, and then bought it a few weeks later. Love the movie, and Oli is right about the speech scene. As for cliche, a cliche would have been

Spoiler

her grandfather coming in right when the speech was read, being moved and changing heart slightly. How many times has a scene like that played out? But he didn't do that - he never showed up. I thought Pai actually being snubbed was unusual,

and it added to the emotion of the scene. She deserved her nomination.

 

[Synth_floyd]

I thought it sucked. Cheesey ethnic drama with annoying girl and cliched plot. However the side effect of this being so popular is that it helps lower the bar for when movies that are actually good are made (me being a prospective film maker). So either way it's a win-win.

 

[whytemyke]

I rode a whale once.


SHE WOULDNT QUIT CALLING ME THE NEXT DAY!!! ROFLS

 

[olimario]

I thought it sucked. Cheesey ethnic drama with annoying girl and cliched plot. However the side effect of this being so popular is that it helps lower the bar for when movies that are actually good are made (me being a prospective film maker). So either way it's a win-win.

Annoying girl? If that low key, soft spoken, and genuinely charming girl is annoying I want you to show me a girl who isn't. Good luck casting, prospective film maker.

 

[Blackie]

I thought it sucked. Cheesey ethnic drama with annoying girl and cliched plot.

Exactly how I felt. It sucked and bored the shit out of me.

 

[saelz8]

I thought it was pretty good.

 

[hobbitx]

dakota is not a good actress, she's just a little girl that sounds older than she is. people love that shit, "ooooh shes so smart! she was like, 'hello mr. roberts, how are you on this fine day?' have you ever heard a doll so young speak like that!?" she's not good at conveying emotion, all she really does is memorize lines and repeats them. ex: War of the Worlds. her little 'emotional' crying/screaming was horrid. and exactly the same every time.


Exactly. She'll be snorting coke off some male prostitue's ass by the time she hits 15.
Today 11:23 AM

:lol

I thought this movie was great, it came on PBS the other day. One of the best movies I've seen in a long time and the ending was so beautiful, I'll be looking forward to seeing her in more stuff.

 

[Miroku]

I thought it sucked. Cheesey ethnic drama with annoying girl and cliched plot. However the side effect of this being so popular is that it helps lower the bar for when movies that are actually good are made (me being a prospective film maker). So either way it's a win-win.

Make sure to let us all know when you make something better :lol

 

[Vibri]

It was kind of OKish.... until the entire sequence

Spoiler

in slo-mo as Kaisha climbs onto whale and rides out to the ocean.

The editing, framing, music, emotion of that sequence totally killed me. Amazing shit.

 

[Comfort_Eagle]

It was good and very well made, but not something that i could watch multiple times.

 

[Meier]

haha, I love how Matlock still remembers how much I loved it. Yes, it's fucking amazing.

 

[teiresias]

The soundtrack is also perfect meditation music.

 

[krypt0nian]

This is an easy thread to line up all the people I need to hate here.

Its like a hate test. :lol

Whale Rider is too good for many people it seems. Not enough explosions, I suppose.

 

[Particle Physicist]

I thought it sucked. Cheesey ethnic drama with annoying girl and cliched plot. However the side effect of this being so popular is that it helps lower the bar for when movies that are actually good are made (me being a prospective film maker). So either way it's a win-win.

out of curiosity.. what movie do you like, mr. film maker to be?

 

[Ferny84]

That's a chick?!

Always thought it was a boy, after seeing the cover.

 

[snaildog]

Keisha actually lied and said she could swim when they asked her because she wanted to get into the movie - feisty little thing.

It was pretty good, although as a NZer I've already had enough Maori for one lifetime. Never quite cottoned on to what a little girl was supposed to do "save" her community though.

 

[GhaleonEB]

Keisha actually lied and said she could swim when they asked her because she wanted to get into the movie - feisty little thing.

It was pretty good, although as a NZer I've already had enough Maori for one lifetime. Never quite cottoned on to what a little girl was supposed to do "save" her community though.

It was a matter of preserving tradition, a sense of history and tribal pride, more than 'saving' the villiage.

 

[gigapower]

Absolutely fantastic soundtrack from Lisa Gerrard.

 

[snaildog]

It was a matter of preserving tradition, a sense of history and tribal pride, more than 'saving' the villiage.

:lol Well I guess they succeeded, remembering the crap we had to go through in school assemblies.

 

[TJ Bennett]

Keisha Castle-Hughes was amazing and well deserving of the Oscar nomination. She carried the film from start to finish. Outside of her the other acting was average at best, with the exception of the grandfather character. Not only was his acting infomercial worthy, but his voice was identical to Sato in Karate Kid II. While this may seem like an absurd observation, all of my friends who saw it with me made the exact same comments after the movie. In the end, Whale Rider is just another overrated foreign film that is given credit more for its ethnic qualities than its filmmaking qualities.