There’s been quite a mixed bag of opinions regarding director Taika Waititi’s feature film debut, Eagle vs. Shark. Everything from it’s a “wanna-be Napolean Dynamite” to a “good enough first effort” that bares some resemblance to Napolean Dynamite. It does, in fact, bare some resemblance to those super-indie Sundance films of years past, including Napolean Dynamite, but with a twist in that the film has a discernable objective and falls not so neatly into the romantic comedy genre. I say not so neatly and I mean that in a good way for Eagle vs. Shark elevates the genre whereas Gigli, The Wedding Planner, How to Lose a Guy in Ten Seconds (more like “How to Lose Your Audience in Ten Seconds”) do nothing but relegate the genre to the term “chick flick” and nobody likes a chick flick except chicks in Nebraska or Alabama and nobody cares about what they think of movies at all except studio hacks looking to make yet another buck.

As usual, I digress. The film is in fact a better than “good first effort” and that has a lot to do with excellent comedic writing and actress Loren Horsley. Sure the film is filled with sweet indie tunes by the Phoenix Foundation, and better than average supporting characters, but it is Miss Horsley’s portrayal of Lily that is the backbone of the film which yeah, yeah, we know, bares resemblance to Napolean Dynamite, but solely in tone. Now that we have establsihed that unilaterally held opinion let’s move on shall we?

About that Loren Horsley.

Well, unlike her masterful portrayal of that sex appeal challenged nerd, she is hawt! I don’t develop girl-crushes very often but when I do it’s usually on those who possess something I don’t and in the case of Miss Horsley it’s a really awesome head of curly hair. I also have curly hair but it’s nowhere near as good a head of curls as hers. And they’re dirty blonde curls to boot! Sexy. You wouldn’t believe she was as ravashing as she is seeing her outfitted as Lily, the aforementioned sex appeal challenged nerd, but she is, with a lovely smile (without mole), a melifluous laugh, and impossibly big eyes she’s a cupie doll come to life. I can see why Taika Waititi fell in love with her.

Aside from dashing blonde curls and cupie doll smiles she is a tremendously talented actress possessed of great skill. A lot is made of sexy amazonian actresses who ugllify themselves for the sake of an Oscar nomination (yes, you Charlize Theron, who should have also been given an award for turning yourself into an Ompah Loompah for the awards ceremony that year. yeesh) however Horsley created Lily well before the script was written pointing to her innate ability to conjure an entirely different human being outside herself whereas aforementioned amazons merely mimmick the personalities of those who’ve pass ed through this world. That is no easy task in itself but try creating a character from scratch. One that is not like you at all, trust me, Loren is no dork and I doubt she is wanting for romantic love, then have that character be completely believeable. If you succeed, and she certainly has, you have is what is commonly referred to as brilliance. There are so few truly brilliant performances in film. Those that qualify have nothing to do with re-creating other peoples already lived lives. Sorry Charlize, my apologies Robert De Niro. A truly brilliant performance comes from the creation of a character that is completely believeable, when it is hard to tell the character from the actor, which is probably why they call it character acting. So believeable is Horsley’s Lily, as a character if not a true human being, that she could disappear into her being never to return. Imagine that? It’s like Sybil but less creepy and without the child abuse issues, and that truly is brilliant. Or maybe a little creepy? In either case, it’s easy to see why director Taika Waititi fell in love with her-Loren Horsley or maybe Lily. Nah, probably not Lily. Well, maybe Lily too.
Coming Summer 2007.
Stay tuned to official website for awesomeness.
www.eaglevsshark.net

written by: Maria Colon, editor/amazon

www.thenaica.org