“A Dothraki movie premiere without at least three deaths is considered a dull affair.” —Magister Illyrio Mopatis
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I watched it again as well (I think it was on one of the “classic” movie channels) - hadn’t seen it since it came out and have had a recurring search for it.
Very, very highly recommended for people who like a little more nuanced vision of rural māori life and of the challenges which come with reconciling traditional culture and modern life. If you don’t cry at least once, you are a stone-hearted human.
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Which reminds me…
He must have been quite a teacher.
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Indeed. I was hoping they had re-written the character to have a Polynesian mythos. It was a genuine question because certain aspects of the character design appear to have Polynesian influence. Would be hard to imagine that with an actor who did not share that heritage.
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Yeah. That and Captain Ron are some of the best sailing movies ever made.
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A quick YouTube search finds all kinds of people performing Hakas for many ceremonies including football game kickoffs. They seem honorable but as a white person, I know I don’t get to make that judgement. I only know I love to watch them, no matter who’s executing them…
Noooo. Damnit.
Hi MMP,
Those are all fair points, and it’s worth remembering that sports contests are first and foremost sports contests, so it makes sense that they commence with a challenge to the opponents. The most inspiring and memorable haka I’ve been involved in was 1000m up the side of a stinking hill in the pissing rain, with absolutely no external audience. The challenge was purely internal, to the participants themselves, and by god did it work. It remains one of the most effective examples of man-management I’ve ever seen.
The thing about Momoa’s haka is that there was no implicit or explicit challenge. It was purely a performance in the service of a commercial product^. Also, he isn’t Māori, or a New Zealander. None of that means he can’t perform one, for whatever reason he likes. But it does earn a 
^ and yes; I know the All Blacks are primarily a commercial product these days.
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shhhhh…he isn’t arian he is watarian!
lol. i was just relieved when he set it down. puny mortals are difficult to clean off the barbs.
aquaman (momoa) is now moana’s brother, all part of the new disney/marvel/starwars mashup universe. 
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-1 degrees of merchandising? i’m quite looking forward to the thanos vs sofia the first side backstory.
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I probably won’t see this movie myself but the one question I have about the undersea kingdom of Atlantis is this:
What is the etiquette when you need to pee? Do you just let it go whenever and try not to call attention to yourself, like scuba divers usually do? Or do you excuse yourself and swim off to let it go somewhere people are less likely to notice that the water just got warmer?
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For those curious in learning more from a Māori perspective, this is a very good article by Tina Ngata on Jason Mamoa’s misunderstanding of the haka https://thespinoff.co.nz/atea/19-12-2018/once-were-gardeners-lovers-and-poets-not-warriors/
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Those facial expressions made my day!
The Conspiracy Whack-a-Doodles and Ancient Woomeisters will get mad if you say that.
Interesting article, which raises valid points. I think, however, that the Moriori perspective should be included as well.
But being a warrior can have positive aspects. From Ms. Ngata’s perspective, it is about brutish aggression and violence, particularly against women. But a warrior can be a protector, and even a humanitarian.
On another note, Pacific Islanders are sharing culture and traditions these days. Hawaiian music can be heard on many islands. Hawaiian textiles are everywhere. The Haka is just too cool to not be adopted as well. That is the world we live in. I once spent a few days on a tiny island in the Seychelles group, at the invitation of a family who lived there. But they had adopted Jamaican/Rasta culture almost completely. The accents were french, but the music, art, dress and lifestyle could have been rural Jamaica, instead of being off the coast of Tanzania.
More Haka perspective:
http://eng.kiamau.tki.org.nz/Teachers-notes/Waiata-and-haka
Ooh, disagree. A red carpet movie premiere is like the opening night of a play: you are about to reveal a thing you’ve put a lot of work into, all the critics are there, you might triumph or you might get savaged. It’s nerve-wracking. Really the audience feels like an adversary in that moment.
I believe they’re challenging Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse for the #1 Box Office slot.
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They will lose.
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