100 Words… – cinemescope

100 Word Review – Juno (2007)

May 26, 2017May 22, 2017Posted in 100 Words..., Comedy, F-RatedTagged Allison Janney, Comedy, Diablo Cody, Ellen Page, f-rated, J. K. Simmons, Jason Bateman, Jason Reitman, Jennifer Garner, Michael Cera, Oscar, Rainn Wilson, teenLeave a comment

Best Original Screenplay Oscar winner, this brilliant comedy about teenage pregnancy is dry, sweet and full of heart.

An unplanned pregnancy leaves mature-beyond-her-years teen Juno (Ellen Page), facing a tough decision, and trying to figure out what’s right for her and the baby.

Written by Diablo Cody (Jennifer’s Body, United States of Tara), and directed by Jason Reitman (Thank You For Smoking, Up In The Air), this quirky comedy has a cast to match.

Michael Cera (Superbad), Jason Bateman (Bad Words) and Jennifer Garner (Dallas Buyers Club) are all wonderful in what is so much more than a teen comedy.

100 Word Review – Super (2010)

May 24, 2017May 22, 2017Posted in 100 Words..., Action, ComedyTagged Comedy, dark, Ellen Page, humour, James Gunn, Kevin Bacon, Linda Cardellini, Liv Tyler, Nathan Fillion, Rainn Wilson, super heroesLeave a comment

Not a super hero movie.

When his wife leaves him for her drug dealer, an ordinary man becomes the Crimson Bolt, a hero as fallible and unextraordinary as he is, but in a red suit.

Written/Directed by James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy, Slither) and starting Rainn Wilson (The Office, Juno) and Ellen Page (Juno, Inception), this film is funny but extremely dark.

Think Kick-Ass but simultaneously bleaker and more brilliant.

Gunn’s twisted sense of humour fits perfectly with Wilson’s wonderfully awkward timing and skill. Not suitable for kids and barely suitable for adults, this film’s sad, dark and unmissable.

100 Word Review – Mindhorn (2016)

May 22, 2017May 14, 2017Posted in 100 Words..., ComedyTagged Alan Partridge, Andrea Riseborough, British, Comedy, Essie Davis, Harriet Walter, humour, Julian Barratt, Kenneth Branagh, police, Russell Tovey, Sean Foley, Simon Callow, Simon Farnaby, Steve Coogan, tvLeave a comment

Somewhere between Alan Partridge and Hot Fuzz, this is British comedy at its finest. Written by and starring Julian Barratt (Mighty Boosh) and Simon Farnaby (Bunny & The Bull), it’s jam-packed with British talent, hearty laughs and a truly entertaining storyline.

Richard (Barratt) used to played Mindhorn, a TV detective whose eye let him see the truth. More than 20 years later, and nearing the end of a failing acting career, Richard is called back to play his greatest role, to help solve a murder.

With a fantastic supporting cast, including a show-stopping turn from Russell Tovey (The Pass, The History Boys).

100 Word Review – Sixteen Candles (1984)

May 20, 2017May 11, 2017Posted in 100 Words..., Comedy, RomanceTagged 1980s, Anthony Michael Hall, Comedy, Joan Cusack, John Cusack, John Hughes, Justin Henry, Michael Schoeffling, Molly Ringwald, Romance, teenLeave a comment

Written/directed by John Hughes (Pretty In Pink, The Breakfast Club), like many of his other films, this is a staple of main stream 80s Hollywood, and partly credited with the rise of the teen comedy/romance.

Being a teenager is already hard, but Samantha (Molly Ringwald) suffers humiliation after humiliation on her sixteenth birthday.

Funny, stupid, romantic and with the kind of outfits that were only popular in the 80s, this is a great, fun film that doesn’t ask to be taken too seriously.

Look out for a very young John Cusack and a wonderful part for his sister Joan Cusack.

100 Word Review – Be Kind Rewind (2008)

May 18, 2017May 14, 2017Posted in 100 Words..., ComedyTagged cinema, Comedy, Danny Glover, film, filmmaking, Jack Black, Mia Farrow, Michel Gondry, Mos Def, Yaslin BeyLeave a comment

For all of you who have experienced the joy of a “sweded” video and those of you haven’t, Jack Black and Mos Def have a film just for you.

When they accidentally erase all of the tapes in the video rental shop they work in, two friends (Black and Def) decide to reshoot them themselves.

Written/directed by the magnificent Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), it’s quirky, funny and sweet.

Gondry’s underlying passion for cinema and filmmaking is prevalent throughout and adds an almost nostalgic atmosphere as the two leads try to recreate classic scenes on a $0 budget.

100 Word Review – Breakfast At Tiffany’s (1961)

May 14, 2017May 11, 2017Posted in 100 Words..., Drama, RomanceTagged 1960s, adaptation, Audrey Hepburn, cult, Drama, George Axelrod, George Peppard, Hollywood, Romance, Truman CapoteLeave a comment

“A girl can’t read that sort of thing without her lipstick.” – Holly Golightly

Based on the novel by Truman Capote of a prostitute and her next door neighbour, this Hollywood version keeps all of the glamour of its source.

Holly Golightly (Audrey Hepburn), a New York Socialite, lives next door to ‘average Joe’ and hopeless romantic Paul Varjak (George Peppard) in this 1960s cult movie.

Screenplay by George Axelrod (The Seven Year Itch, Paris When It Sizzles), this film manages to live up to its stylish reputation while sneaking in some of the darkness and turmoil of the original story.

100 Word Review – Hidden Figures (2016)

May 12, 2017May 11, 2017Posted in 100 Words..., DramaTagged 1960s, America, biopic, Drama, feminism, Hans Zimmer, Janelle Monáe, Jim Parsons, Kevin Costner, Kirsten Dunst, Mahershala Ali, NASA, Octavia Spencer, Pharrell Williams, racism, sexism, Space, Taraji P. HensonLeave a comment

The amazing true story of the African-American women behind the 1960s NASA Space Programme.

Katherine G. Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughn (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe) are three female mathematicians, known as “computers”, who use their intelligence and perseverance to fight the racism and sexism that holds them back.

Based on the book by Margot Lee Shetterly and directed by Theodore Melfi (St Vincent), it has a fantastic soundtrack from Pharrell Williams and Hans Zimmer that fits perfectly with the upbeat tone of the film.

Wonderful, uplifting and inspiring, it’s one of those stories everyone should know.

100 Word Review – Green Room (2015)

May 10, 2017May 6, 2017Posted in 100 Words..., Drama, Horror, ThrillerTagged Alia Shawkat, America, Anton Yelchin, Horror, Jeremy Saulnier, music, neo-nazi, Patrick Stewart, police, political, punk, racism, right-wing, ThrillerLeave a comment

From Jeremy Saulnier, writer and director of Blue Ruin, comes a thrilling horror that hits all too close to home.

Pat (Anton Yelchin), Sam (Alia Shawkat) and their band mates find themselves performing to a group of right-wing extremist skin heads in America’s deep South. When they see something they shouldn’t have, they come face to face with the club’s owner, the terrifying Darcy (Patrick Stewart).

Tense and horrible in parts, this film hits a nerve in the current political climate and the darker side of the world of punk music. It’s currently on Netflix and definitely worth a watch.

100 Word Review – Moana (2016)

May 9, 2017May 6, 2017Posted in 100 Words..., adventureTagged adventure, Alan Tudyk, animation, Auli'i Cravalho, Disney, Dwayne Johnson, family, Fantasy, Jemaine Clement, Lin-Manuel Miranda, music, myth, Oscars, Polynesian, The RockLeave a comment

Nominated for two Oscars, including best animated feature, Disney’s latest princess is a chieftain’s daughter, chasing a demigod.

Written and directed by the hands behind Aladdin, Hercules and Princess and The Frog, this film is a wonderful and refreshing look at Polynesian mythology with a family friendly feel.

Music from the award-winning Lin-Manuel Miranda (writer of Broadway sensation Hamilton), and star performances from the likes of Jemaine Clement (What We Do In The Shadows) and Alan Tudyk (Frozen, Serenity).

Newcomer Auli’i Cravalho is wonderful as Moana but Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as arrogant demigod Maui manages to steal the show.

100 Word Review – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

May 8, 2017May 6, 2017Posted in 100 Words..., Action, Comedy, Sci Fi, UncategorizedTagged Action, adventure, Bradley Cooper, Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, family, Fantasy, humour, James Gunn, Karen Gillan, Kurt Russell, Michael Rooker, Sci Fi, Sylvester Stallone, Vin Diesel, Zoe Saldana1 Comment

Quill (Chris Pratt) and the team are back, battered and bruised and better than ever.

Continuing from Guardians of the Galaxy, Rocket (Bradley Cooper) gets the gang into hot water with the Sovereign, forcing the Guardians to cross paths with Quill’s long lost father, Ego (Kurt Russell).

With the same great cast and skill-full direction of the first film, the soundtrack may not be quite as epic, but it is still the fun, fantastical journey you might hope for. Suitable for older children, it’s already been voted number 229 in IMDb Top 250, in it’s first week of release.

Don’t miss it.