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 Whale Rider 

What grade would you give this film?
A 50%  50%  [ 4 ]
B 13%  13%  [ 1 ]
C 25%  25%  [ 2 ]
D 0%  0%  [ 0 ]
F 13%  13%  [ 1 ]
Total votes : 8

 Whale Rider 
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College Boy T

Joined: Mon Oct 11, 2004 7:52 pm
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Post Whale Rider
Whale Rider

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Quote:
Whale Rider is a 2002 New Zealand drama film directed by Niki Caro, based on the novel of the same name by Witi Ihimaera. The film stars Keisha Castle-Hughes as Kahu Paikea Apirana, a 12-year-old girl struggling to become the chief of the tribe. Her grandfather Koro believes that this is a role reserved for males only.

The film was a co-production between New Zealand and Germany. It was shot on location in Whangara, the setting of the novel.

The world premiere was on 9 September 2002, at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film received critical acclaim upon its release. Castle-Hughes was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress.


Wed Apr 06, 2005 9:59 pm
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Killing With Kindness
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BJs Grade:

A+

Best Indie Film EVER! =D>

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Thu Apr 07, 2005 1:23 am
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Extraordinary
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Wow, someone gave this an F.

I thought it was a pretty good movie actually. It had a nice blend of myth/fantastic (her riding the whales) blended with realism and contemporary issues. It was strong and emotional at moments, but never got too abrassive or preachy. I like how she really loved her grandfather and just didn't want to dissappoint. Very nice movie.

A-


Thu Apr 07, 2005 1:26 am
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dolcevita wrote:
Wow, someone gave this an F.

I thought it was a pretty good movie actually. It had a nice blend of myth/fantastic (her riding the whales) blended with realism and contemporary issues. It was strong and emotional at moments, but never got too abrassive or preachy. I like how she really loved her grandfather and just didn't want to dissappoint. Very nice movie.

A-


Nice grade Dolce :wink:

Ther persome who gave this an F is obviously crazy :bur:

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Thu Apr 07, 2005 1:30 am
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Beautiful movie that feels like your watching someone's life. It doesn't feel like anyone's acting. The performances are wonderful and I thought both grandparents were really good. I'm interested to see director Niki Caro's next movie with Charlize Theron to see if this was a fluke or not. I rate it an A-.


Fri Apr 08, 2005 5:02 am
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Post Re: Whale Rider
Loved the film, disappointed in myself for not seeing it earlier.

Castle-Hughes needs to do alot more work, she was brilliant in this film, one of the best performances by a young actress in her first role for sure.

Grade - A-

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Sun Aug 19, 2007 2:21 pm
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Post Re: Whale Rider
Keisha Castle-Hughes is brilliant here. The movie is really carried by her performance.

B+


Sun Aug 19, 2007 9:22 pm
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B/B+


I started watching this film for the first time over a year ago during my exams period and due to time constraints never got further than 40 minutes. About a week ago I got a chance to finally see it in full and I must say that it's a solid flick, no more no less. What makes this movie is pretty much the same thing that it got most of its praise for - the splendid acting by Keisha Castle Hughes in the lead role. Unlike some overrated child performance (Abigail Breslin in Little Miss Sunshine for instance) she truly deserved her Oscar nomination. At first, I wasn't too impressed, but as her role unfolded during the movie, she kept getting better and better. Her speech towards the end of the film that she dedicates to her grandfather is simply hearbreaking without being too sentimental.

The movie itself is interesting, albeit very dry in the first 30-40 minutes, I must say. The cinematography is beautiful. What hurt the movie a bit to me what making it rather mystical with the arrival of the whales and Pai riding one of them. That just took me out of the otherwise very fine film and got the grade a few notches down. Apart from that, Niki Caro made a finely crafted flick, with an outstanding lead performance and a few, but definite flaws here and there. It was certainly better than her follow-up North Country, that's for sure.

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Sat Dec 08, 2007 12:54 pm
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Post Re: Whale Rider
{My original review from July 2003:}



Whale Rider: A Beautiful Movie!

Whale Rider is indeed enchanting -- for those who are Pacific conscious (or would like to be), it brings to life the Maori legend in a contemporary setting. Anyone who enjoyed last year's Antanarjuat: The Fast Runner as a tribal story brought to film will want to see Whale Rider. It is indeed an emotionally note perfect film story. I recommend seeing it. It's a beautiful movie!

5 out of 5.


Sun Dec 09, 2007 2:36 am
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