I'm usually a little bit behind the times when it comes to certain things, in this case movies. I don't go to theatres when new movies come out, except maybe once every couple of years because I'm going with someone else, but I like to watch DVD's in the comfort of my own home theatre. One movie that I really wanted to see when it first came out was Whale Rider. Obviously, I never saw it in a theatre and even chose not to watch it when it was Oxygen a couple times (not a fan of movies on TV either, commercials and all). So, I finally got it off reserve at the library and watched it tonight and must say that it is a beautiful movie and one of the best I've seen in a while. Certainly deserving of all the awards it had won. Keisha Castle-Hughes (Paikea) and Rawiri Paratene (Koro) are unforgettable as grandfather and granddaughter, and I thought Grant Roa (Paikea's uncle Rawiri) was great and would love to see him in more films. Anyway, if you haven't seen the movie you definitely need to rent it or read the book that the movie is based on by Witi Ihimaera.