100 Words… – Page 12

100 Word Review – Inside Out (2015)

July 30, 2015March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., F-RatedTagged Amy Poehler, animatio, Bill Hader, children, emotions, family, IMDb, Kaitlyn Dias, Mindy Kailing, Pete Doctor, pixar, Ronaldo Del Carmen, San Francisco3 Comments

I cry at every Pixar film, so let’s take that as a given.

Inside Out follows Riley (Kaitlyn Dias) from the unique perspective of her governing emotions, as she moves to San Francisco for her dad’s work. Meet Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Disgust (Mindy Kaling), Fear (Bill Hader) and Anger (Lewis Black).

Despite a couple of moments where they chose the easy stereotype, Pixar are on top form. Pete Doctor (Up, Monsters Inc) and Ronaldo Del Carmen (Ratatouille, Brave) wrote and directed it. It’s already #48 on IMDb’s Top 250.

No wonder I laughed, cried and felt all warm inside.

100 Word Review – The Machine (2013)

July 29, 2015March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., Sci FiTagged Artificial Intelligence, British, Caity Lotz, Caradog W James, Denis Lawson, Ministry of Defence, MOD, Sci Fi, Thriller, Toby StephensLeave a comment

A wonderful example of modern British Sci Fi.

Set in a future where Britain is at war with China. Vincent (Toby Stephens) is a brilliant scientist with a tragic past, working with Ministry of Defence money to develop artificial intelligence to help his ailing daughter. But what’s the true cost of his research?

Written and directed by Caradog W James, with Caity Lotz and Denis Lawson co-starring, it is a truly thrilling cinematic experience. There’s something of the Film Noir about it.

Is it a fable for the future or a dark foreboding for the present? Either way it’s wonderful.

100 Word Review – Wristcutters: A Love Story (2006)

July 28, 2015March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., Comedy, Fantasy, RomanceTagged adaptation, afterlife, Comedy, dark, death, Etgar Keret, Fantasy, Goran Dukic, John Hawks, Leslie Bibb, Patrick Fugit, Romance, Shannyn Sossamon, Shea Whigham, suicide, Tom Waits, Will ArnettLeave a comment

This is the latest addition to my every changing top 10 films. Dark, funny and beautiful.

Zia (Patrick Fugit) slits his wrists and wakes up in a grey and dreary world for people who commit suicide. When he discovers his ex-girlfriend has also killed herself, he knows he needs to find her.

Adapted from a novella by Israeli writer Etgar Keret by Croatian writer/director Goran Dukic, it definitely has a more multicultural feel than your average American indie.

Tom Waits, John Hawks, Will Arnett, Shannyn Sossamon, Leslie Bibb and Shea Whigham make up the marvellous supporting cast for this remarkable feature.

100 Word Review – Brief Encounter (1945)

July 27, 2015March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., Drama, RomanceTagged 1940s, adaptation, Celia Johnson, David Lean, Drama, Noel Coward, Romance, Trevor Howard, World War Two, WWIILeave a comment

“You know what’s happened, don’t you?… I’ve fallen in love with you.”

Based on the play by Noel Coward, and directed by David Lean (Lawrence of Arabia, The Bridge Over The River Kwai), this is a quintessentially British romantic drama, set during the Second World War.

Laura Jesson (Celia Johnson) meets Alec Harvey (Trevor Howard) in a railway station, and continues to meet him there week after week. Theirs would be a perfect romance, were they not married to other people.

This film is wonderful. Told in part through Laura’s inner dialogue, the end result is charming, repressed and beautiful.

100 Word Review – Sliding Doors (1998)

July 26, 2015March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., Comedy, Drama, F-Rated, Fantasy, RomanceTagged Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Gwyneth Paltrow, John Hannah, John Lynch, Peter Howitt, philosophy, RomanceLeave a comment

I have never watched John Hannah cry in a film and not shed sympathetic tears. This film is no exception.

On the same day that Helen (Gwyneth Paltrow) is fired from her job, she misses the tube by a split second. Her life splits into what could have happened had she caught the train, and what happened because she didn’t.

This is not a comedy. There are funny moments, but ultimately it’s a moving exploration of one woman’s life, and how she is affected by those around her. It’s a philosophical debate marketed as a romance, and it does both.

100 Word Review – Battle Royale (2000)

July 24, 2015March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., Drama, FantasyTagged Action, adaptation, blood, Drama, Fantasy, gore, Japanese, Kinji Fukasaku, Koushun Takami1 Comment

What you are about to watch is brutal. Based on the novel by Koushun Takami, Kinji Fukasaku pulled no punches translating it to the silver screen.

Set in a future world where overpopulation is the main concern, a class of students are captured by their government, sent to an island and forced to kill each other to survive.

This is not the Hunger Games. This is far more grown up and far less forgiving. There’s no beautiful scenery or costumes, this is not Young Adult fiction. This film may not be for the faint hearted but is definitely worth watching.

100 Word Review – RED (2010)

July 23, 2015March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., ActionTagged Action, Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, John Malkovich, Morgan Freeman, REDLeave a comment

Finally! An action film that proves youth and gender aren’t everything!

A former Black-Ops agent (Bruce Willis) comes out of retirement when he is forced back into the field. Marked by the Government as Retired Extremely Dangerous he’s going to need a little help from his friends.

Cue Helen Mirren, John Malkovich and Morgan Freeman. Seriously, what film can boast a better cast?

Admittedly, as with most action films, a lot of it’s unbelievable. But it is so much fun. If you want a cerebral drama, then look elsewhere, but if you want exploding cars, you’re in the right place.

100 Word Review – One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest (1975)

July 21, 2015March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., DramaTagged 1960s, adaptation, Bo Goldman, Christopher Lloyd, Danny DeVito, Drama, IMDb, Jack Nicholson, Ken Kesey, Lawrence Hauben, Louise Fletcher, Milos Foreman, OscarsLeave a comment

Jack Nicholson at his finest in this superb adaptation of Ken Kesey’s novel about the inner workings of 1960s mental institutes.

McMurphy (Nicholson) pleads insanity rather than face his prison sentence thinking it will be the easier option. He is mistaken.

Louise Fletcher won an Oscar for her portrayal of the terrifying Nurse Ratchet; Nicholson nabbed one for Best Actor; Milos Foreman won Best Director: Lawrence Hauben and Bo Goldman were awarded Best Screenplay for their adaptation; and with the help of the marvellous cast (Danny Devito, Christopher Lloyd) ensured the Best Picture win.

Little wonder it’s #15 on IMDb’s Top 250.

100 Word Review – The Matrix (1999)

July 14, 2015March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., Action, Sci FiTagged Action, Carrie-Anne Moss, computers, IMDb, Keanu Reeves, Lawrence Fishburne, Oscars, Sci Fi, WachowskisLeave a comment

Currently sitting at 18 on the IMDb Top 250 list, it’s no exaggeration to say that this film was ground-breaking.

Neo (Keanu Reeves) is a computer hacker who is approached by a group of rebels (Carrie-Anne Moss, Lawrence Fishburne) intent on convincing him the world he knows may not be as it appears.

Writing and directing team the Wachowskis (V For Vendetta, Cloud Atlas) spent an $80 million making this the masterpiece that they envisioned and, considering they won four Oscars for the special effects, editing and sound, it was money well spent.

It’s the classic Sci Fi action that you can’t miss!

100 Word Review – The Theory of Everything (2014)

July 13, 2015March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words...Tagged ALS, Anthony McCarten, biopic, Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones, James Marsh, Jane Hawking, Motor Neurone Disease, Oscars, physics, Stephen HawkingLeave a comment

Anyone watching it cannot question how Eddie Redmayne won the Best Actor Oscar for his outstanding performance in this brilliant biopic.

The extraordinary life of world-renown physicist Stephen Hawking (Redmayne), from being a student at Cambridge through struggles with motor neurone disease, and his relationship with his wife (Felicity Jones).

Based on the autobiography of his wife Jane Hawking, it was carefully adapted by Anthony McCarten and delicately directed by James Marsh (Project Nim, Man On Wire). The end result is a touching tale, told with love and humour, about one of the greatest men and minds of our time.