AWFJ Movie of the Week, Feb. 9-15: WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS
Opening Feb. 13, the AWFJ Movie of the Week is What We Do in the Shadows, the hilarious vampire mockumentary from writer-directors Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi. The comedy pair have already proved they are masters of spoof with their hit TV show Flight of the Conchords, and here turn their attention to the shadowy world of the undead with similarly side-splitting results. Read on…
Waititi and Clement play vamps Viago and Vladislav who, together with their long-dead friends Deacon (Jonathan Brugh) and the Nosferatu-esque Petyr (Ben Fransham), have been sharing a house for aeons. Naturally such enduring friendships lead to frictions and the joy of What We Do in the Shadows, which is shot like a fly on the wall documentary, comes from the humour of the everyday; here arguments about the washing up are as commonplace as bloodsucking. There’s also plenty of humour to be found in these ancient beings’ attempts to fit into the modern world; Viago’s attempt to find a silk scarf he lost in 1912 by ‘Googling it’, for example. And the vamps’ run in with a group of werewolves trying desperately to stay on the straight and narrow – ‘We’re werewolves, not Swear Wolves’ – is just one of many, many highlights.
Indeed, What We Do in the Shadows is comedy brilliance from start to finish, thanks to its superb performances – the entire cast are experts in comic timing and delivery – and razor sharp observational humour. In fact, it’s so packed full laughs that it’ll likely take you more than one viewing to catch them all. And that’s absolutely no bad thing. — Nikki Baughan
AWFJ Movie of the Week Panelists Comments:
MaryAnn Johanson: My pick is *What We Do in the Shadows,* an absolutely hilarious mockumentary spoof on vampires and a low-budget New Zealand film that needs all the help it can get to spread the word. Read full review
Kristy Puchko: Inventive, smart and hilarious, What We Do In The Shadows is a welcomed new take on the vampire genre.
Film Details:
Title: What We Do in the Shadows
Director(s): Taika Waititi, Jemaine Clement
Release Date: Feb. 13, 2014
Running Time: 86 minutes
Language: English, German
Shooting Location(s): Wellington, New Zealand
Principal Cast: Taika Waititi, Jemaine Clement, Jackie van Beek, Jonny Brugh, Cori Gonzales-Macuer, Stu Rutherford
Screenwriter(s):Taika Waititi, Jemaine Clement
Production Company: Unison Films (presents), Defender Films, Funny or Die, New Zealand Film Commission
Distributor: Unison Films, Paladin
AWFJ Movie of the Week Panel Members: Nikki Baughan, Anne Brodie, Pam Grady, Leba Hertz, MaryAnn Johanson, Loren King, Cate Marquis, Katherine McLaughlin, Jennifer Merin, Nell Minow, Rebecca Murray, Kristy Puchko, Sheila Roberts, Sara Vizcarrando, and Jeanne Wolf.
Other Movies Opening the Week of Feb. 9-13, 2014:
Feb 10
Accidental Love
Feb. 13
Fifty Shades of Grey
Kingsman: The Secret Service
The Last Five Years
What Do We Do in the Shadows
Old Fashioned
Girl House
The Rewrite
Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead
GETT: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem
Edited by Sandra Kraisirideja, AWFJ.org Associate Editor
