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athicfa · 3 years

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oh since I watched Suicide Squad yesterday let me go ahead and say what I thought about it

(spoilers under the cut!)

Margot’s best Harley yet. She was silly without her shtick becoming grating over time or making her look stupid. Love the moments when we get to see the switch flip in her head and witness why Harley Quinn is truly a dangerous individual.

Patrick Star also did FANTASTIC in his debut movie role

Idris’s Bloodsport was a much more compelling protag than Will’s Deadshot from the first film incarnation. I blame the script though; they didn’t have much to work with.

Peacemaker was Cena’s best role to date. I love Peacemaker as a character, but he did shatter my heart into a thousand tiny pieces. Still glad he’s coming back for a potential sequel. (Wish Rick would come back too but alas.) Also, as a longtime wrestling fan, it felt so surreal seeing John Cena finally turn heel ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Polka-dot Man and his weird mom complex was funny in the weirdest way possible. Peak cringe humor. And the pathetic expression on his face for like 90% of the movie sold it for me even more.

This movie made me fall in love with Rick Flag. He was so much better this time around. I wanted to cry when he died, especially because both his and Peacemaker’s acting were ON POINT in that scene. You could see the hurt and betrayal on both of their faces, even Peacemaker had that “I can’t believe you made me do this” look in his eyes that just HURTS SO MUCH.

Really hate what they did with King Shark though. So much potential to work with and they went for a stereotypical bumbling oaf trope. My biggest gripe with the movie.

I love Cleo she is a good bean and must be protected at all costs.

SEBASTIAN MY LOVE!!!!! YOU GOOD BOI!!!! GOOD BABY RAT BOI!!!!!

Taika Waititi made me fucking cry I swear that’s this man’s favorite hobby. First JoJo Rabbit and now this and he was only there for like a minute 😭

10/10 for the comedic use of gore. I’m a Mortal Kombat fan. I have high standards.

Plot was actually good??? Or maybe it wasn’t and I just feel impressed because I came in with low expectations??? idk I felt like it was good I’ll make up my mind when I inevitably re-watch it.

I like that they didn’t constantly info dump on me or bash me over the head with exposition. The basic attitude was “look you know what you came here for here’s a quick 30 second refresher of why these people are working together now here’s some gore and explosions let’s have fun” and I appreciate that.

They put John Cena in tight white briefs just for us. This is what fan service should be.

idk man it was a fun movie I don’t feel like being critical of it atm honestly. Only issues that stick out to me atm are that I hate what they did to King Shark and I’m not sure how I feel about the decision to have Peacemaker try to kill Cleo and not have the same struggle over it as he did with Rick.

#suicide squad spoilers tw #spoilers tw #[ooc]

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jillianallen14 · 4 years

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Fuck it, I’m making another one lol

Day 1: The Others; idk how I remember this, but I was 2, and my mom was watching The Others; I distinctly remember a few moments from it

Day 2: Jojo Rabbit

Day 3: I think this means a title that has more than 5 words lol? Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, and Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing Missouri. No, I will not choose between these 3.

Day 4: 28 Days Later

Day 5: Dead Poet’s Society - English Professor (although I’d prefer to be a college literature prof not a high school one); honorable mention: Kill Your Darlings - Poet/Writer

Day 6: I answered Monsters, Inc on the other one of these that I did, so I’m answering Wall-E or Coraline on this one

Day 7: Scream

Day 8: The Hunger

Day 9: I have quite a few of these, but Lord of the Rings (I hate all three of them) tends to be the most contentious one when I tell people

Day 10: The Dark Knight (but Iron Man and Thor: Ragnarok are close seconds)

Day 11: It’s a close one for whether I dislike romance or comedy as genres more, so I’ll do two; romance = Pride and Prejudice (2005); comedy = What We Do In The Shadows

Day 12: Fave genre - horror; least fave horror movie (so far) - Possession (I could barely make it thru this movie)

Day 13: Blade Runner 2049

Day 14: Lots of options for this one, but I chose the one that I think is super incredibly bleak the entire way through, like there are no happy points - The Machinist

Day 15: The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Day 16: Practical Magic - I’m legit named after Nicole Kidman’s character because my mom watched this movie when she was pregnant with me and liked the name Gillian when she heard it in this movie, and her and I watch it together every year around September time

Day 17: There’s so many better and smarter movies to say lol, but I fucking love Hunger Games: Catching Fire, so I’m going with that

Day 18: Gary Oldman - Sid and Nancy, Cillian Murphy - Red Lights, Mads Mikkelsen - The Hunt (Jagten), Helena Bonham Carter - Fight Club, Keira Knightley - Never Let Me Go, Dakota Johnson - Suspiria (2018), Nicole Kidman - The Killing of a Sacred Deer

Day 19: Chris Nolan - Memento, Guillermo del Toro - Pan’s Labyrinth, David Fincher - Se7en, Taika Waititi - Hunt for the Wilderpeople

Day 20: I know we’re not supposed to double up on movies, but Dead Poet’s Society; was part of the reason I decided to make the switch from physics major to literature major

Day 21: Arrival; I actually really love this movie lol, but I fell asleep during it twice before I finally finished it haha

Day 22: Fucking My Bloody Valentine (2009); ask me about it, and you’ll get a five years long rant about why lol

Day 23: Vampyr (1932)

Day 24: Star Wars: A New Hope; can’t even imagine what it must have been like to see that in theaters when it first came out

Day 25: Idk what this one means by “current era”, exactly? Crimson Peak

Day 26: The Silence of the Lambs

Day 27: At Eternity’s Gate; the entire time I was watching this movie, I just kept thinking, “what a pretty pretty movie!!!!!!” and looking at the TV with heart eyes

Day 28: Joker - this is literally the only movie that has ever triggered me; I got panicky in the theater and felt sick the entire time

Day 29: Haha, I love Spirk and desperately want a love like that, so I’m gonna be ridiculous and answer Star Trek: The Final Frontier

Day 30: This is an extremely hard question because I love circular endings (and Aristotelian Balance), but I also love endings that emotionally gut me but I also love movies whose endings just leave me with my jaw dropped bc I’m not sure wtf I just witnessed. Alright, fine. Gutting ending - Train to Busan (I cried for an embarrassing amount of time); Circular Ending - Memento; WTF Ending - Hereditary

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reel-em-in · 5 years

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BAFTA Gurus Screenwriting Talk - Taika Waititi

For our lecture this week we were tasked with watching a BAFTA Gurus video, specifically a Screenwriting talk. After a quick look through the different speakers on offer within their videos, I decided to watch the talk by Taika Waititi. Someone who’s work is a particular favourite of mine, and thus I had a keen interest in the writing techniques of.

I managed to split the talk into 5 main parts: general information about Taika Waititi, thematic within Waititi’s work, adaptations of existing work, writing methods and tips, and the audience questions at the end of the video.

General Information on Taika Waititi

Began his career as a visual artist and actor

Most of his screenplays are written 7 years before going into production as films

He makes a point of going against conventional New Zealand comedy

Worked many jobs prior to going into the film industry, many in hospitality.

He reccomends waiting and improving your craft before rushing into feature films

He draws on many of his own experiences as inspiration within the screenwriting process

Thematics

Draw on your own experiences, this allows for a personal connection to the work.

Waititi usually works with a mix of genres in his films. Usually mixing comedy with darker and more melancholy themes.

Most of his films feature a nuanced look at childhood

He feels that writing for child actors is more pure, as kids don’t overthink or over complicate roles in the way that more experienced adult actors sometimes do.

He feels a responsibility to inspire his community (Maori), but not to representing only the positives within it. He doesn’t shy away from the issues within his community.

Adaptation (In relation to Hunt For The Wilderpeople, and its inspiration Wild Pigs and Watercress)

Make it your own. Waititi’s original screenplay for this was closer to the original book, and contained little to no humour. As he revised it he added more humour, giving his own voice to the film.

“It’s okay to put ridiculous shit in movies.”

Writing Methods and Tips

When adding comedy to your work it is very important to balance the humour with the more serious undertones. In this respect Waititi believes that it is more difficult than writing something that is purely drama. Comedic timing is very important, and can be difficult to get right.

When revising projects, it is important to read back through what you have written. If at any point you feel embarrassed, that is the stuff you need to change and look at further.

It took Waititi 6 years to write What We Do In The Shadows. With a lot of the actual film being improvised to give it a more realistic documentary feel. Even though it had a script, not many of the actors were actually given the script to view in its entirety. This lead to it having 150 hours of footage, and taking 14 months to edit.

IMPROV IS PART OF THE WRITING PROCESS

Information From Audience Questions

Hunt For The Wilderpeople stuck strictly to it’s script. This was due to constraints with filming. This was because it was filmed during the winter and mostly takes place outside.

Waititi feels that pitching a screenplay is less about the idea, and more about deciding wether those you are pitching to are the sort of people you want to spend the next x amount of time working with.

When Waititi wants a specific thing to happen within his films and is worried that those funding the project may want to take it out, he has 2 tactics to increase the chances of keeping it:

Bait and switch - He doesn’t put it in the script until after he has received the funding.

Distract - He puts something extra crazy in the script that he knows they will want to take out. The thing he actually wants in goes straight after this. The crazy aspect acts as a distraction, and the part he actually wants slips by without being noticed.

Write the script without worrying about financing. Get it to what you want, then take it to financers.

Going in with just a synopsis can be dangerous as it can give away some of the control you have of the screenplay

When working as a director for hire, Waititi is often allowed to do passes on the script, allowing him to add his own voice to it. E.g Thor: Ragnarok

Waititi takes inspiration from Akira, Death of Stalin, Badlands, Get Out, Days of Heaven, and The Graduate

STICK TO YOUR VISION

It is good to listen to those with more experience than you, but it is also important to stick to your vision and do what you think is right.

Know your strengths

It is important to know as much as you can, across as many departments as possible.

When writing, consider the audiences experience. When will they get bored?

It is good to work with people you know, as then you have to worry less about hurting their feelings, etc.

Methods of inspiration - listening to a playlist when writing, using moodboards, watching other films, people watching, stolen conversations.

Waititi’s writing process - lots of notes and beats before typing, writes the beginning and end first, then writes the scenes that make up the body of the film, then glues it together with connecting scenes, then writes it properly.

Jojo Rabbit (2019) began being written in 2011

Trick for writing and revising - Write a draft and put it away for a year, then come back to it and read it a few times. After reading it, throw it away and redo it from what you can remember. This will make it shorter. Once you have the idea down to its bare bones, you can begin adding aspects of tone and humour to it.

Turn of technology for as long as possible when writing. This stops distractions.

Waititi tries to spend 3 hours a day actually typing.

Break up the workload into 20 minute blocks. Every 20 minutes cycle what you are working on.

Trust the people around you, use them during the revising process as a set of fresh eyes. Listen to what they have to say about it (constructive criticism)

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moviepower · 4 years

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Why do people criticize Jojo Rabbit?

We'd say that this is uncharted territory for distributor Disney, but the company did previously give us their futures face. Hmm. I saw Jojo Rabbit in the best place I could for movies, in my opinion.

For this list, we're looking at why Tyco ITTS 2019 black comedy has proven. So polarizing for critics just to clarify the critical reception thus far has been mostly positive and even watch mojo gave the film a rave review following its TIFF premiere.

Nevertheless, we can definitely see why a movie like this. Wouldn't win audiences over everywhere. Hey Joe, Joe, my old friend. Hi adults. Number 10, the controversial premise. I don't think I can do this last. Of course you can simply by reading it synopsis, you can tell why Jojo rabbit has stirred up so much controversy.

In the midst of world war II, a young German boy named Joe Joe dreams of becoming a Nazi upon learning that his mother has been harboring a Jewish girl in the attic though, Jo Jo begins to reevaluate his outlook on life. I tell them you will be in big trouble throughout this coming of age journey. Our titular character is guided by his imaginary friend.

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Is it worth to watch Jojo Rabbit full movie

Who just so happens to be a flamboyantly incompetent, Adolf Hitler, as inventive as the premises, it was guaranteed to ignite passionate feelings. Critics are unsurprisingly split as to whether the film's premise is inspired or irresponsible. I wish more of our young boys had your blind fanaticism. Okay.

Number nine, how it stacks up to other satires and this world is ruined for everyone and the good earth is rich and can provide for everyone. The way of life can be free and beautiful, but we have lost the way Jojo rabbit. Isn't the first film to satirize Hitler or Nazis 1940 twos to be, or not to be was criticized upon release for its farcical, spin of Nazi occupied Poland.

But today is viewed as a comedy classic. I know you're quite famous in London kernel. They call you concentration camp Earhart. Yes. Yes, we do the concentrating and the poles do the camping Hitler. Technically isn't the protagonist and the great dictator. It's obvious who Charlie Chaplin was parodying. We can learn more about actress playing mother Jojo on Wikipedia.

Arguably the most famous sendup of Nazi Germany is Mel Brooks. The producers. In which two con men put on an intentionally horrible musical entitled springtime for Hitler. Practically a love letter to this own run a week week. Are you kidding display? It's got the close on page four. Some critics are ready to place Jojo rabbit alongside these revolutionary respected comedy.

What do critics write in reviews about Jojo Rabbit?

Others, however, would claim that the film has more in common with the bridge sit-com Hile, honey I'm home, which was so misguided and tasteless that it only lasted one episode. Oh 10 night. You will make an schnitzel. What a joke. You must be real mad at me, honey. I'm a very, very bad Hitler. Number eight, what's going on in the real world right now?

Fuck man. The house, although world war II is in the past. The same, unfortunately can not be said about bigotry. Nowhere was this more apparent than at the 2017 unite the right rally in Charlottesville, which attracted several hate groups, including neo-Nazis. Since prejudice and discrimination remain prevalent in today's world.

It's obvious why various critics would object to a film that makes light of Nazi Germany. Nevertheless, satire can reflect modern times as well as history in ways that straightforward drama can't. Some might argue that now isn't the right time for a Nazi satire, but others would debate that society needs a movie like Jojo rabbit. A great story about the Irishman is here.

Now more than ever, you're not to nuts. Jojo, tenue kids likes dressing up in front of you. If somebody wants to be part of a club. Number seven, the humor, the best weekend ever.

Soundtrack in the highest level of production

Wow. Your enjoyment of Jojo rabbit will hinder on how hard you laugh. Or of course, if you laugh, the film didn't tickle. Roger Freedman. Funnybone who wrote in his showbiz four one, one review Jojo rabbit is actually borderline antisemitic offensive on many levels and not even funny. Sam Adams of slate couldn't have disagreed more proclaiming for Jojo rabbit comedy.

Isn't a means to minimize, but to analyze wise, to pry at the way, hateful ideologies can be embraced as a comfort and how beneath their promise to. Blame how the world really works is an understanding no more sophisticated than a child's it's time to buy some books. Since humor is subjective, we guess there isn't always going to be a clear line between what's offensively funny and what's just plain offensive.

Oh God. Number six. Jewish jokes. Did you know, Jews can Z to each other's mind. So tell us, you know, who saw one? They could look just like us of Tyco. ITT satire is clearly the Nazis. However, the director who's of Jewish and Maori heritage also pokes fun at Judaism. Hi, well, the real Jordan Rumi was horrified by the audience's reception at the screening he attended.

Writing, you have no idea how it is to be surrounded by thousands of people laughing at jokes, specifically directed at Jews. That being said, Rumi seemed to be in the minority of a group that found the film. Hilarious. As with Borat and South park, many would argue that the humor and Jojo rabbit isn't intended to mock the Jewish faith, but to criticize how ignorant and Semites are a cute number five, the life is beautiful comparison, right?

Jojo Rabbit's reaction to mom's death

Yeah. Critics have stocked a Jojo rabbit up against numerous other films. But life is beautiful. Seems to be the one that's invited the most comparisons this 1997, Italian dromedy also presented world war II through a lighthearted lens, centering on a Jewish man who uses humor and imagination to shield his son from the horrors of the Holocaust. It's interesting what they write about this movie on Amazon.

Well, the film won an Academy award for best foreign language film, and even got nominated for best picture. There were those who found the movies comedic tone, inappropriate. Over two decades later, we will continue to debate if the movie is a life affirming fable or a dated misfire. It's actually eerie how much these two films have in common, especially since both one TIFs peoples choice award.

That is the strongest thing in the world. Number four, is it shocking enough? I was your age. I had an imaginary friend come in so much stuff even before the first trailer dropped Jojo rabbit was being built up as one of 20 nineteens most controversial movies. Weirdly enough though, some critics have expressed disappointment that the film isn't more shocking.

Well, audiences have arguably gotten more sensitive with time. There are still patrons who crave comedy that pushes the envelope to its limits. It's time to burn some books. Brian Talarico of the Chicago sun times felt Jojo rabbit played it too safe. Writing the final scenes of Jojo rabbit are too easy for a film that needs to be dangerous and daring.

Are the best scenes already included in the trailer?

Even if the film doesn't go all out with its edgy concept. Seeing Tyco, ITT dresses, Adolf Hitler will be more than enough to make a few jobs drop. What am I going to do? No idea. Going down the house in Glen Winston church one, negotiate number three. It's depiction of Nazis. The playlist Charles romesco took issue with the films, humanization of antisemites writing.

YTT concedes that a good percentage of Nazis really do hold hate in their heart. But maintains that at least some of them aren't you two seem to be getting on. Well, it doesn't seem like a bad cost. How much pain and suffering the Nazis caused many audiences will understandably struggle with this message.

However, if Ron Jones proved anything with his third wave social experiment in 1967, it's that even ordinary people can get swept up in the dangerous ideals of fascism. Likewise, Jojo rabbit poses, a challenging question. If we're not willing to acknowledge the bad and the good in people, how can we ever rid ourselves of prejudice?

Nothing makes sense anymore. Yeah, I know. It's definitely not a good time to be a Nazi. Number two it's message. And mother took me. She's kind me like a person, whatever your thoughts on Jojo rabbit, Tyco ITT clearly wanted to spread an anti hate message. YTT also claims that he started writing the screenplay before Nazis regained relevance in the media.

There's little doubt that why TTS intent was noble, whether or not the final product successfully gets his message across is where critics are split. A doubt of the a V club felt that making fun of Nazi Germany had been done before. Thus taking away from the movies, broader anti hate theme. Peter Howell begged to differ in his Toronto star review writing Taika YTT knocks it out of deer park with the meaningful lunacy of his anti hate satire, which is equal parts.

Adolf Hitler's thread in the movie

Mel Brooks, West Henderson, and own whimsical brilliance growing up too fast. Ten-year-olds and the celebrating war and talking politics. Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified a better latest videos. You'll have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.

If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications. Number one it's depiction of Hitler. Well, they call me a scared rabbits. Okay. Let's address the giant rabbit in the room. Tyco YTT spends most of his screen time prancing around in a Nazi uniform and toothbrush mustache. If you want, you can read here about preparations for making a movie and other curiosities.

Without a doubt, YTT, didn't set out to deliver a serious or dignified portrayal of Hitler. Rather YTT aspired to make the fewer look as goofy and idiotic as possible. Oh, . Just painting Hitler as a wacky, even likable buffoon desensitized us to the atrocities. He committed though. Some may say yes while others may argue that it leaves audiences more informed and open-minded.

At the end of the day, everyone is going to have a different opinion of Jojo. Let them say whatever they want. People used to say a lot of nasty things about me. Oh, this guy's a lunatic. Oh, look at that psycho. He's going to get us all killed. Do you agree with our picks, check out this other recent clip from watch mojo and be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos.

#jojo rabbit #movie #movies #netflix #hbo

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orlafilmblog · 4 years

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October Films

Carol (Todd Haynes)

I adored this film. It was a heart wrenching love story accompanied by a gorgeous soundtrack and excellent performances that I couldn’t look away from. The way Carol and Therese’s relationship blossomed and then fell was mesmerising to watch, and I genuinely didn’t know how it was going to end until it did.

The Devil All The Time (Antonio Campos)

Although not a film that I would traditionally enjoy, this one had me hooked. The seperate storylines from past and present weaving together gave the film an excellent tool for telling it’s story. Set in the post-war American central belt, it gave a very dark look into the ‘hillbilly’ religion obsessed life led by so many. Robert Pattinson gave a chilling performance as the creepy preacher. The cinematography was good, and overall I enjoyed watching this film.

Da 5 Bloods (Spike Lee)

This film has been sitting in my watchlist since it was released, and I finally decided to give it a watch. I wasn’t disappointed, having high hopes for it. It had the Spike Lee stamp on it, with a political message from the start. The cast gave astounding performances, really owning each character. The switch between past and present was cleverly executed with the changes in aspect ration and colour quality. I particularly liked how instead of trying to de-age or recast younger actors for the flashbacks, Lee just used the older actors. This drew a nice link between the two times, with Norman (Chadwick Boseman) standing out as a lot younger compared to the others, highlighting his tragic death. Although the film mixed genres and was a hectic watch, I would watch it again.

No Country For Old Men (Ethan Coen, Joel Coen)

This film had me on the edge of my seat throughout. For me the most noticeable aspect of the film was the use of silence; so many scenes were built on the silence as Anton hunted Ed down and stalked him through motels and streets. The atmosphere created by the excellent performances and stunning cinematography was dark and almost apocalyptic in places. It was a tense but good watch.

Uncut Gems (Josh Safdie, Benny Safdie)

I have never experienced a film where I felt actively anxious the whole time. Watching Howard make mistake after mistake had me shouting and groaning at the screen as the story progressed ever downwards. By the final scene my heart was racing and I don’t know how the film replicated such strong feelings of anxiety. Seeing Adam Sandler in such an intense role was jarring at first, but he delivers it and faces every challenge wonderfully. The quick dialogue and pace meant I really had to pay attention to what was going on. I don’t know if I could sit through this film again without having a heart attack, but I did really enjoy it.

What We Did On Our Holiday (Antony Hamilton, Guy Jenkin)

A favourite for my family, this film never fails to make me both cry and laugh. With hilarious performances from the three children, often leaving the adult actors lost for words, it’s a comedy for everyone to enjoy. Yet I always need to bring my tissues out for the emotional latter half of the film. It takes a silly concept and makes it into a wonderful mix of sadness and joy. The family dynamics are spot on, and I really could watch it every day.

Jojo Rabbit (Taika Waititi)

Much like the above film, Jojo Rabbit made me both laugh at it’s silliness and cry as it got progressively darker. Roman Griffin Davis plays Jojo as a wonderful anti-hero, and I love seeing his journey from a young Nazi to boy who understands what is going on around him. The bright colours reflect his innocence and show how he views Nazi Germany as perfect. The performance from Waititi as Hitler is hilarious, in fact the whole idea is. Whilst not my favourite film by Waititi, I still loved it.

Podcasts

Recently I have been listening to episodes of The Empire Podcast, and I just started Kermode and Mayo’s Film Review.

#filmblog

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x-enter · 5 years

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Taika Waititi explains the origins of his Oscar contender 'Jojo Rabbit,' why he ended up playing Hitler, and what it was like directing in costume

Taika Waititi spoke with Business Insider about his acclaimed Nazi satire, "Jojo Rabbit."

Waititi wrote and directed the movie, and also stars as an imaginary Adolf Hitler who the main character talks to.

Waititi said the first draft of the script was more dramatic and didn't include the Hitler character.

Almost five years after Waititi wrote the script, Fox Searchlight said it wanted to make the movie, as long as Waititi played the Hitler character, "which was lunacy to me," Waititi said.

The director eventually agreed and the result is a movie that is building Oscar buzz.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Taika Waititi's eyes widen when he spots a couch in the room where his interview with Business Insider is set to take place. He goes straight for it and lies down, stretching across the entire piece of furniture. Moments later, he takes off his shoes to get even more comfortable.

Waititi will take relaxing moments when he can find them. His last few weeks have seen him pin-balling from Disney's huge fan event D23 in Los Angeles, to the Toronto International Film Festival, to the Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas, and now back to LA.

But the actor-writer-director isn't complaining.

He's currently a hot commodity in every facet of his career. On the acting side, there's roles in anticipated projects like the Disney Plus series "The Mandalorian," the Ryan Reynolds comedy "Free Guy," and James Gunn's "The Suicide Squad." Waititi has also begun work writing "Thor: Love and Thunder" (coming out November 2021), the sequel to his successful first directing effort of a Marvel Cinematic Universe title, "Thor: Ragnarok." But what he's focused on most as he lies on the couch is his latest directing effort, "Jojo Rabbit" (in select theaters on Friday).

Written, directed, and starring Waititi, the movie is a unique coming-of-age tale: Jojo (Roman Griffin Davis) is a young boy living with his mother (Scarlett Johansson) in Germany at the height of the Nazi regime during World War II. Jojo wants nothing more than to grow up to be a loyal Nazi and even has an imaginary friend who is a Nazi: Adolf Hitler himself (played by Waititi).

But the boy's life is thrown for a loop when he learns that his mother has been letting a Jewish girl hide in their house.

In typical Waititi fashion, the story is original, full of heart, hilarious at times, and showcases the talents of its actors (particularly Johansson). All that adds up to a movie that you will hear more about as we get deeper into award season (especially after the movie won the audience award at the Toronto International Film Festival, which has led to Oscar gold for numerous past winners).

Business Insider spoke to Waititi about switching quickly from drama to dark comedy in the early drafts of writing "Jojo Rabbit," why he knew casting a major star to play Hitler was the wrong move, and what it was like to direct while in his Hitler costume.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity. 

Jason Guerrasio: The source material for "Jojo Rabbit" is Chelsea Winstanley's book, "Caging Skies," but did your time spent in Berlin painting during your 20s influence the story at all?

Taika Waititi: No. I stole some of my friends' names that I grew up with while living in Berlin and put them in. While I was in Berlin, I was living the life of an artist so it was very free. Germany was very vibrant and liberal. The club scene was incredible. I think I drew more on the World War II films that I'd seen and some comedies.

Guerrasio: Speaking of watching war movies, was "Empire of the Sun" one of them? Because in some ways I compare the journey of Christian Bale's Jim character with Jojo's.

Waititi: I definitely watched it in the last few years. I would have watched it to specifically look for something.

Guerrasio: Even John Malkovich's character in that movie has a similar father figure-like relationship that Sam Rockwell's Nazi commander character has with Jojo.

Waititi: Yeah. You're right. So there's that. "Alive Doesn't Live Here Anymore," that was more for the mother relationship. Ellen Burstyn is the greatest single mother character that's ever been committed to screen. She's so good in that. Having a mother who raised me by herself I was really struck by watching that film. And having kids myself, I also just fully realized how hard their job was. And not to just keep a kid alive, but to shield them from bullying and prejudice and the darkness of the world. Trying to keep their lives bright and happy even when you're feeling like s--t. Not to take it out on them, trying to raise a good person.

Guerrasio: Scarlett Johansson's character is a mother who really knows how to keep her interactions with her son not as toxic as everything around them. Is that a character trait your mother had?

Waititi: When I was growing up I felt it was pretty chill but obviously there are certain things, and again, being a father now, there are just things kids do that piss you off. [Laughs.] With Scarlett's character I thought a little of [Roberto] Benigni in "Life Is Beautiful," where he is distracting his son from what's really going on around them. He never loses it at all. There's the one moment with Scarlett in the living room where she just snaps and then remembers herself. But I really wanted people to fall in love with her. I wanted the audience to see her as really the only grounded force in the film. Everyone else is running around like headless chickens and all she's trying to do is keep the kid safe.

Guerrasio: Did you get any rehearsal time with her? I would think with her schedule you only had her for a limited time.

Waititi: Yeah, we just talked. We talked a lot about it.

Guerrasio: Did you feel that was enough?

Waititi: Unless you are searching for something, I'm not really sure you need much rehearsal. I felt the script was really in a place where I was really happy with it, and if there was anything we were searching for dialogue-wise, we could just talk about it and go off and try to execute those notes. And then there's also having amazing actors. With Sam and Scarlett, you don't really need to overthink it. I've learned that over the years, if you know someone is really good and they're smart and you have had those homework discussions earlier then most of your work is done.

Guerrasio: Let's change it up and talk about Hitler.

Waititi: I've brought this on myself.

Guerrasio: It sounds like early drafts of the script didn't have him in the story, right?

Waititi: The very first draft didn't have him, but then I started all over again.

Guerrasio: What was the lightbulb moment?

Waititi: The book, I'll be straight up, is not a comedy. It's very much dramatic. And I was just about to do "What We Do in the Shadows," and I felt then that I was only interested in doing this if it's a different story from these World War II films. Knowing myself, I knew eventually I was going to put humor into it somewhere. When I rewrote it, I just started typing and it just kind of wrote itself. It only took me a couple of weeks. And I don't usually start at page one but I started and basically wrote all the way through. And the Adolf character came about and the script hasn't changed that much since. It's really hard to explain because the only time it's really happened to me is with this script.

Guerrasio: So in the rewrite that's when things get outlandish.

Waititi: Yeah. The first version wasn't a comedy.

Guerrasio: That first draft was more true to the book?

Waititi: Yeah. I wrote the first draft with a friend of mine. It was brilliant but it just didn't feel like me.

Guerrasio: And also you probably asked yourself, "Do you want to do a serious movie on this subject?"

Waititi: "Do I have to go to work and feel sad and angry all day." So I started again. I didn't even have this idea in my head of having this imaginary friend. I think I wanted to get rid of the father. I wanted to have this life in the house small and simple. Just the kid and the mother. In the book there's the kid, the mother, the grandmother, the father comes back and forth. There were just too many characters to try and do this. So I got rid of all of that and then just gave him a friend.

Guerrasio: How did you end up playing Hitler?

Waititi: It was never my intention. The furthest thing from my mind was me playing him. Then we shopped it around to a few agencies, not even specific actors, and asked, "What do you think of the script? Who do you think would work?" Back when we were getting this off the ground it was all about what actors are a box-office draw when it came to making period movies. So a lot of the investors said, "We need an A-lister to play Hitler." I could see why they would say that, but weirdly it's not like that anymore.

Guerrasio: And if you cast a star, all I'm going to see in that role is that star.

Waititi: You're exactly right. So, let's come up with a name. Big movie star.

Guerrasio: Um … Brad Pitt.

Waititi: If it's the Brad Pitt Hitler movie that's all it's going to be known as.

Guerrasio: It's true.

Waititi: And he'll be the only thing on the poster and it will distract from the real heart of that story which are these kids. And I want to see a Brad Pitt anything movie but it would have taken away from what the story is trying to deliver.

Guerrasio: So you have to take the role.

Waititi: And it was [the movie's distributor] Fox Searchlight's decision.

Guerrasio: Really?

Waititi: After I finished shooting "Thor: Ragnarok" they came in and said they really loved the script. This is four or five years after I wrote it. They said they really want to make it but they said, "We're only interested if you play Hitler." Which was lunacy to me.

Guerrasio: What was their pitch? Why?

Waititi: They made a good point which was that particular role is written a certain way and it needs to be handled by the person who invented that character. Part of it, like we said, is the celebrity distraction thing, but also because the way I wrote it, and because I knew how it needed to be played, it fell on me. And it actually made it easier to play because I didn't have to deal with someone else filtering what I was trying to do. They were right, looking back on it. If I worked with another actor maybe that person would have researched it too much or tried to do a more authentic version of Hitler and pulled away the buffoonery I was after.

Guerrasio: So what was it like on set directing in costume?

Waititi: Yeah, it was horrible.

Guerrasio: Did you address everyone on set the first day of shooting? "Sorry guys, it is what it is."

Waititi: I did actually have to do that. I was just embarrassed on set. Having to be dressed like that and having to talk to people. Often I took off the mustache between set ups or put a hat on. Or I would take the jacket off. But still, you catch yourself in a reflection and you're reminded. For most people it's something like seeing themselves and going, "I forgot, I got a haircut yesterday." For me it was, "Ah, I forgot, I look like Hitler."

SEE ALSO: The Nazi satire "Jojo Rabbit" is a heartfelt coming-of-age comedy by the director of "Thor: Ragnarok" that feautures an amazing performance by Scarlett Johansson

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source https://www.businessinsider.com/taika-waititi-jojo-rabbit-interview-backstory-playing-hitler-2019-10

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