I thought I'd begin a new segment that will hopefully catch on and become a thing I can blog on more often. A spotlight on some of the most talented directors the world has to offer, and what better way than to start off with Taika Waititi. Never heard of him? He's directed, written and starred in some of the best films you may or may not have seen.

So Waititi is a New Zealand born director, writer, actor and painter who was born in the Raukokore region of the country, growing up there and in Wellington. His father was a painter, and that's what got Waititi into the art himself. He's really good at it too, I recommend having a Google at some of his works. It's from his painting and artistry that he went onto photography and then went into the film industry as an Indie filmmaker.  

He's a very inspired director whom uses a lot of his paintings in his films. What We Do In The Shadows is a comedy/documentary that follows the lives of a group of Vampires that live in and old house in New Zealand. Lots of the set was designed by Waititi himself and it definitely shows as we see his acting as the quirky Viago. He co-wrote and directed the film with Jermaine Clement, and it is unbelievably daft and very funny. It intertwines horror, comedy and the documentary genres beautifully and is one of funniest films you'll find available today, it's on Netflix now so check it out if you haven't!

Hunt for the Wilderpeople is the latest film that Waititi has done, which stars newcomer Julian Dennison as Ricky Baker, a young delinquent who is forced to live with Hec (Sam Neill) his foster father. When his foster mother dies, Ricky is told he can't stay with Hec whom he has a growing bond with, and the two become the assailants in a manhunt for them. It's absolutely hilarious, and what is even better is the style we see in this film. It has a very Wes Anderson type feel to it, so that's clearly something that Waititi has been inspired by. It works well, and theres some great moments in the film and some fantastic chemistry between Dennison and Neill. Waititi is really good at the father/son dynamic and that transpires into my favourite film of his coming up next...

Boy is one of my favourite coming of age films out there, if not my favourite. Waititi's first proper feature outing, Boy see's a young boy from New Zealand who's father (played by Waititi) returns to him 11 years after his birth to collect some buried money, and we are welcomed with a struggling, emotional but full of heart and humour film that I can't recommend enough. Waititi is perfect in this film, his performance is very well done and again, the father/son relationship is beautifully done. 

Some may know that Waititi is making his way to mainstream Hollywood cinema with his directing of the upcoming Thor Ragnarok which I'm ecstatic for. It looks good so far and very Waititi, and its my most anticipated film of the year. Hopefully he'll get a lot more work from this, and I'd be pleased to seeing him doing what he does best. He's a quirky, clever and funny man who has a lot to offer, I can't recommend him enough!