Eagle vs Shark

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Eagle vs Shark
Directed by Taika Waititi
Produced by Cliff Curtis
Written by Taika Waititi (Screenplay)
Loren Horsley (Story)
Starring Jemaine Clement
Loren Horsley
Craig Hall
Joel Tobeck
Music by The Phoenix Foundation
Cinematography Adam Clark
Editing by Jonathan Woodford-Robinson
Distributed by Flag of the United States Miramax Films
Release date(s) Flag of the United States June 15, 2007 (NY & LA)
Running time 93 min.
Country Flag of New Zealand New Zealand
Language English
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

Eagle vs Shark is a New Zealand-made romantic comedy directed by Academy Award nominee Taika Waititi and financed by the New Zealand Film Commission. The screenplay was also written by Waititi, based on the character of Lily created by Loren Horsley.[1]

The film had its world premiere at Sundance in the World Cinema Dramatic section of the festival and opened in the US on June 15th, 2007 in New York and Los Angeles.

The soundtrack to Eagle vs Shark features New Zealand artists The Phoenix Foundation, Age Pryor and The Reduction Agents along with M Ward, Devendra Banhart and 1980s British group The Stone Roses. Along with a number of songs The Phoenix Foundation wrote the original score for the film. The soundtrack is available through Hollywood Records.

Contents

[edit] Plot

Lily waits for Jarrod at Meaty Boy.
Lily waits for Jarrod at Meaty Boy.

Lily is a shy, wistful girl, a songwriter when no one is listening, and an unpopular cashier at a fast food restaurant who has a crush from afar on Jarrod, a self-assured eccentric geek who works in a video game store. She waits patiently for him each day at lunchtime, hoping he will pick her queue. Jarrod, though, is interested in Jenny, a more traditionally attractive cashier, and always chooses her line.

Lily is downsized from her job after her name is drawn from a hat. However, she is invited to finish out the week.

With Jenny not at work one day, Jarrod gives Lily an invitation to his "dress as your favourite animal" party to pass along to her, but Jenny crumples it up and throws it away upon receiving it. Lily retrieves the invitation from the trash, hoping Jarrod won't mind when she shows up with her brother Damon. She also finds that the trash is full of the slips of paper from the drawing, and her name is on every one.

The party is sparsely attended with what seems to be teenagers and adults mainly culled from the customer base at Jarrod's store, all dressed extravagantly as their favourite animal. Jarrod is impressed with Lily's shark costume (though he insists an eagle is slightly better) as well as her savant-like video game skills, making it to the finals of a Fight Man video game competition, though she is no match for the perennial champion, Jarrod (partially because she is too busy staring at him). The two end up in Jarrod's room alone that night and awkwardly begin their relationship.

Lily now considers Jarrod her boyfriend and hangs out around his store. They set a date one night to see "the new Wolverine movie" at the local Cine-Saurus Rex, to which Jarrod never shows. He comes by her house later that night to apologize, saying he was depressed and needed to be alone. He later says that he has to kill a man in his hometown who used to bully him in high school, but laments that he has no car to get there. Lily asks Damon, and he consents to drive Jarrod and Lily to Jarrod's home for the week to meet his fate and complete his fantasy revenge mission with the help of his inept hacker friend and his oddball family.[2]

[edit] Cast

Actor Role
Jemaine Clement Jarrod
Loren Horsley Lily
Craig Hall Doug Davis
Joel Tobeck Damon
Rachel House Nancy

[edit] Production

The film's script was workshopped at the Sundance Film Festival Director's and Screenwriter's Labs in June, 2005.[3] The script was sold in August and given a budget of NZ$1.8M ($1.35M US Dollars). It was shot entirely in New Zealand, in and around Wellington and Porirua, during 25 days in October and November of 2005 with a crew of 35 workers.[4][5]

The film is composed mostly of live action, but segments within the film are done in stop motion by Another Planet Ltd., utilizing both props and actors.[6]

[edit] Critical reception

The film received mixed reviews, receiving a rating of 55/100 on Metacritic[7] and a 54% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes[8]. The critical consensus on Rotten Tomatoes was that while there were "frequent moments of wit and mordant humor, Eagle vs Shark needs more to distinguish itself from other precious, Napoleon Dynamite-ish comedies' moments."[9] Joe Morgenstern of the Wall Street Journal commented that "..."Eagle vs Shark" has its own distinctive style, partly thanks to whimsical little interludes of animation, but mainly because it ties blithe absurdity to a rock bed of emotional truth."[10] Jim Ridley of the Village Voice noted the dissimilarity to Napoleon Dynamite saying "Napoleon Dynamite looks like Cary Grant next to the hero of this Kiwi quirk-a-thon: a hulking, sullen creep named Jarrod whose goony sulking, petulant selfishness and dweeby videogame obsession somehow work like Spanish fly on mousy burger-flipper Lily."[11]

[edit] Distribution

At Cannes 2006 it was announced that Miramax Films had purchased the North American theatrical rights after watching a five-minute trailer.[12]

[edit] Box office

Eagle vs Shark opened on Friday, June 15th, 2007 on three screens (one in New York City, two in Los Angeles) grossing $20,361: an average of $6,787 per screen.[13] This was preceded by a series of free screenings, some with a Q&A with Taika Waititi and Loren Horsley, in certain cities to gain a word of mouth buzz.[14]

The film expanded to 18 screens the following week, June 22nd, 2007. It took in $35,597, a gain of +74.8% over its opening numbers.[15]

[edit] Home Media

Eagle Vs Shark was released January 8, 2008 on DVD. Bonus features include a commentary by director Taika Waititi, outtakes, deleted scenes with optional commentary, and The Phoenix Foundation music video "Going Fishing".

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Eagle vs Shark" Press Notes (PDF).
  2. ^ "Eagle vs Shark" Press Notes (PDF).
  3. ^ Interview with Waititi and Horsley.
  4. ^ Creative Screenwriting's Q&A Podcast.
  5. ^ "Eagle vs Shark" Press Notes (PDF).
  6. ^ "Eagle vs Shark" Press Notes (PDF).
  7. ^ Eagle vs. Shark (2007): Reviews
  8. ^ Eagle Vs. Shark - Movie Reviews, Trailers, Pictures - Rotten Tomatoes
  9. ^ ROTTEN TOMATOES: Movies – Top Movies, Trailers, Tickets & Showtimes
  10. ^ [http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118186395464336075.html Kiwi Comedy 'Eagle vs Shark' Is Endearing, Odd.]
  11. ^ Eagle vs. Shark review.
  12. ^ Variety.
  13. ^ Box Office Mojo.
  14. ^ Creative Screenwriting's Q&A Podcast.
  15. ^ Box Office Mojo.

[edit] External links