Month: September 2015

100 Word Review – Bad Words (2013)

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Who said spelling bees are just for children?

Guy (Jason Bateman), a somewhat obsessive adult, finds a loop hole allowing him to enter a spelling bee. Followed by reporter Jenny (Kathryn Hahn), his is determined to win by whatever means necessary.

The first screenplay by Andrew Dodge and directorial feature debut for Bateman, costars include the likes of Allison Janney and Philip Baker Hall. More sincere than the screwball comedy you might expect; while it manages to remain more grounded, Dodge and Bateman still play off the shock-value for laughs.

Rude, funny and relatable, it’s more intelligent than its cover.

100 Word Review – Me and You and Everyone We Know (2006)

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This is a beautiful romantic comedy that takes a step away from the Hollywood cliches and sets itself in a much more recognisable universe.

Richard (John Hawkes) is a shoe salesman separating from the mother of his two sons (Miles Thompson, Brandon Ratcliff), when he meets quirky performance artist Christine (Miranda July).

This is the first feature from writer, director and co-star July, who has since gone on to write and direct The Future.  

A really lovely and at some moments perfectly awkward film, that acknowledges and includes every single character in its delicate and intricate tapestry of human relationships.

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100 Word Review – Dear White People (2014)

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This should be compulsory viewing.

Set in an Ivy League college in the States, it follows four black students in the run up to an event described in the press as a “race riot”.

Debut feature from writer and director Justin Simien, it tackles racism in modern society as an insidious entity, and the effect of coping with discrimination as the underdog.

Stylishly put together, with a superb cast (Tyler James Williams, Tessa Thompson, Kyle Gallner, Tayonah Parris, Brandon P Bell); it’s entertaining, but terrifying when partnered with the knowledge that there are more than kernels of truth in it.

100 Word Review – O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)

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Joel and Ethan Coen, the Coen Brothers (Big Lebowski, The Hudsucker Proxy), do it again.

Set in 1930s American Deep South, three escaped convicts (George Clooney, John Turturro and Tim Blake Nelson) attempt to avoid the authorities, tangling with a range of weird and wonderful characters, on their quest for hidden treasure.

Loosely based on Homer’s Odyssey and co-starring John Goodman and Holly Hunter, this film manages to be simultaneously charming, familiar and epic.

Nominated for Oscars in Screenplay and Cinematography, it is absolutely full of laughs, a soundtrack that will get your toes tapping and, above everything else, heart.

100 Word Review – The Addams Family (1991)

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Margaret: Where’s your costume?

Wednesday: This is my costume. I’m a homicidal maniac. They look just like everybody else.

Adapted from The New Yorker satirical comic strip of the 1940s and the TV series of the 1960s and 1970s, this time the inversion of the ideal American family are hitting the silver screen.

After going missing in the Bermuda Triangle for 25 years, Uncle Fester (Christopher Lloyd) is reunited with Gomez (Raul Julia), Morticia (Angelica Huston), Wednesday (Christina Ricci), Pugsley (Jimmy Workman) and Lurch (Carel Struycken). But is everything as it appears.

Family-friendly fun, albeit with a morbid sense of humour.

100 Word Review – All About Eve (1950)

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A magnificent example of classic Hollywood.

Star Margo Channing (Bette Davis) believes that ingenue Eve (Anne Baxter) is trying to climb Hollywood’s career ladder by using her as a stepping stone.

It’s a truly twisted tale of deception, ambition and betrayal.

Witten and directed by Joseph L Mankiewicz (Cleopatra, Guys and Dolls), this film has won six Oscars including Best Directing and Best Screenplay and was nominated for a further eight. It even beat Sunset Boulevard for Best Picture and holds the record for the greatest number of female action Oscar nominations. It is currently number 100 on IMDb’s Top 250 films.

100 Word Review – The Lunchbox (2013)

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This is a beautiful understated example of modern Indian filmmaking.

Ila (Nimrat Kaur) sends her husband lunch to work every day with the famous infallible Mumbai lunchbox delivery service. In an attempt to kick-start her marriage she puts a message in the box, which reaches bachelor Saajan (Irrfan Khan).

Written and directed by Ritesh Batra, it is a wonderful film about the power of the written word and rediscovering ourselves through food. It is romantic, underplayed and brilliantly done, with superb leads and an excellent supporting cast. It has won 28 awards including a BAFTA and been nominated for a further 37.

100 Word Review – Some Like It Hot (1959)

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Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon star in this classic 1950s Oscar-winning romantic comedy. 

When Joe (Curtis) and Jerry (Lemmon) accidentally witness the 1929 St Valentines Day Massacre, they join a women-only band to escape the mob who want them silenced.

This is a very, very silly film.

That said, it is also clever, funny and brilliantly directed by the hugely talented Billy Wilder (Sunset Boulevard, The Apartment). It is dramatic, engaging and speaks volumes about the strict gender roles of the time. It’s currently number 112 on IMDb’s Top 250 films and has the single greatest last line of any movie.

100 Word Review – Hairspray (2007)

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This film may appear corny to start with but it has a heart of gold and a timeless sense of humour. 

Tracy’s (Nikki Blonsky) a large girl with a personality to match, determined to dance on a local daytime TV show.

Co-starring Michelle Pfeiffer, John Travolta, Christopher Walken, Queen Latifah, Amanda Bynes, James Marsden, Brittany Snow, Zac Efron, Elijah Kelley, Taylor Parks (pictured) and Allison Janney, this is a musical of epic proportions.

Based on the 8-time Tony Award Winning musical set in segregated 1960s Baltimore and the 1988 film adaptation starring Rikki Lake, it’s an up-beat comedy not to miss.