100 Words… – Page 14

100 Word Review – Attila Marcel (2013)

June 30, 2015March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., Action, Comedy, Drama, RomanceTagged Anne Le Ny, Belleville Rendezvous, Comedy, Drama, France, French, Guillaume Gouix, Romance, Sylvain Chomet, The IllusionistLeave a comment

This was one of my unexpected gems from Bath Film Festival 2014.

Paul (Guillaume Gouix) is a mute. Living with his two over-bearing aunts, it is not until an accidental meeting with Mme Proust (Anne Le Ny) that takes him on a psychedelic psychological journey through his repressed childhood.

Written and directed by Sylvain Chomet (Belleville Rendezvous, The Illusionist), this is his foray into live-action, bringing all the creative visuals he is known for to a new medium. It is full of the charm, wit and philosophy you would expect, with such beautiful scene composition you cannot help but feel transported.

100 Word Review – Dallas Buyers Club (2013)

June 29, 2015March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., DramaTagged 1980s, AIDS, Denis O'Hare, Drama, HIV, Homosexuality, Jared Leto, Jean-Marc Vallee, Jennifer Garner, Matthew McConaughey, Oscars, Ron Woodroof, Steve Zahn1 Comment

Winner of three Oscars, including Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role for Matthew McConaughey and Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role for Jared Leto (who I did not recognise until the end credits), and nominated for three more (including the illusive Best Picture) this is certainly worth a watch.

Following the life of Ron Woodroof (McConaughey), a homophobic electrician who contracts HIV in 1985 and finds himself supporting the “faggots” he has been so disgusted by in order to get the drugs he needs.

Jean-Marc Vallée’s direction gives the drama a well delivered personal touch.

100 Word Review – Shutter Island (2010)

June 26, 2015March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., Drama, ThrillerTagged 1950s, adaptation, Ben Kingsley, crime, Dennis Lehane, Drama, Emily Mortimer, Goodfellas, IMDb, Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Martin Scorsese, Michelle Williams, Patricia Clarkson, Psychological, The Departed, Thriller1 Comment

Another wonderful example of Martin Scorsese’s (The Departed, Goodfellas) attention to detail.

Set in 1954, Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) is partnered up with Chuck (Mark Ruffalo) and sent to Shutter Island, a hospital for the criminally insane, to investigate a patient’s escape.

Based on a novel by Dennis Lehane (Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone), this crime thriller will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end. Emily Mortimer, Michelle Williams, Ben Kingsley and Patricia Clarkson all co-star, each contributing brilliantly to the sense of dread and suspense present throughout. It currently sits at 194 in IMDb’s Top 250 list.

100 Word Review – Big (1988)

June 25, 2015March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., F-Rated, FantasyTagged 1980s, Big, Elizabeth Perkins, family, Fantasy, Oscars, Penny Marshall, Robert Loggia, Tom HanksLeave a comment

This is one of those films that never fails to make me smile.

When Josh, a 12 year old boy, makes a wish on a carnival machine to be big, he doesn’t expect to wake up the next morning an adult (portrayed by a baby faced Tom Hanks). Forced to leave home and find his way on his own.

Co-starring Elizabeth Perkins and Robert Loggia, this film is just lovely. Hanks performance of a 12 year old stranded in an adult world is charming and the whole feature has a magical quality to it. Nominated for 2 Oscars, this film is truly unmissable.

(directed by Penny Marshall)

100 Word Review – Memento (2000)

June 24, 2015March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., DramaTagged adaptation, Carrie-Anne Moss, Christopher Nolan, Drama, IMDb, Joe Pantoliano, murder, Psychological, Thriller, violence1 Comment

Based on a short story by his brother Jonathan, this is the earliest Christopher Nolan film to make it on to the IMDb Top 250 list. It currently places at number 45.

Guy Pearce stars as Leonard, a man with short term memory loss on the hunt for his wife’s murderer. To cope with his disability he creates a strange system to help him remember and piece the clues together.

Full of violence, heartache and confusion, the story is told through two timelines running in opposite directions making this is more of a brain teaser than Inception could ever dream to be.

100 Word Review – Moonrise Kingdom (2012)

June 23, 2015March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., Comedy, Drama, RomanceTagged America, Bill Murray, Bruce Willis, Comedy, Drama, Edward Norton, Frances McDormond, Jason Schwartzman, New England, Romance, Tilda Swinton, Wes AndersonLeave a comment

Wes Anderson (Grand Budapest Hotel, Fantastic Mr. Fox) explores the weird and wonderful world of childhood in this charming feature film.

Set on a small island off the New England coastline, a pair of 12 year old lovers run away together causing an island-wide search party.

This really is an ensemble piece, with the likes of Bruce Willis, Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Frances McDormond, Tilda Swinton and Jason Schwartzman making up the inhabitants of this strange and beautiful community.

Part comedy, part drama with a touch of romance and tragedy thrown in for good measure, watching Moonrise Kingdom is watching Art.

100 Word Review – Full Metal Jacket (1987)

June 22, 2015March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., DramaTagged Adam Baldwin, adaptation, Drama, Firefly, Gustav Hasford, Matthew Modine, Stanley Kubrick, Vincent D'Onofrio, warLeave a comment

In my opinion this is an example of Stanley Kubrick at his finest.

Based on the novel The Short Timers by Gustav Hasford which he wrote while serving in Vietnam about his own experiences, this is a searing look at the U.S.-Vietnam war, through the eyes of the pragmatic Private Joker (Matthew Modine).

Vincent D’Onofrio gives a truly memorable performance as Pyle, and Firefly fans may spot Adam Baldwin among the leads.

Starting in the training camps, this film is nothing if not brutal from beginning to end. It is a story brilliantly told, but visceral and harrowing to see.

100 Word Review – Eagle Vs Shark (2007)

June 21, 2015March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., Comedy, RomanceTagged Australian, awkward, Comedy, Jemaine Clement, Loren Taylor, quirky, Romance, Taika Waititi1 Comment

Not the animal on animal gore fest you might expect. This is a wonderfully quirky Australian comedy.

Lily (Loren Taylor) works in a fast food restaurant in the same mall as the tech shop where Jarrod (Jemaine Clement) works. When he invites her to his friend’s animal-themed fancy dress (thus the title), all of her dreams have come true. What follows includes a road trip, exotic candles and a fight to the death.

Written and directed by the hugely talented Taika Waititi (What We Do In The Shadows), this is funny, romantic, awkward and very human. It’s an absolute delight!

100 Word Review – Interstellar (2014)

June 20, 2015March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., Sci FiTagged Anne Hathaway, Christopher Nolan, climate change, David Gyasi, IMDb, Matthew McConaughey, Oscars, pseudo-science, Sci Fi, Wes Bently, wormholeLeave a comment

One of the most naturalistically made big-budget Sci Fi’s I’ve seen.

Set about 50 years in the future, the world’s plagued by an inhospitable climate. Ex-astronaut turned farmer Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) is sent with a group of scientists (Anne Hathaway, Wes Bently, David Gyasi) through a wormhole to save mankind.

As this is a Christopher Nolan film, it’s full of twists, turns and pseudo-science. I’m yet to meet a physicist who watched it without laughing. However, it is great fun to watch; dramatic, beautiful and emotionally engaging.

Oscar-winning for its special effects, it currently sits at number 26 on IMDb’s Top 250 list.

100 Word Review – The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994)

June 18, 2015March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., Comedy, DramaTagged Australia, Comedy, drag queen, Drama, Guy Pearce, Hugo Weaving, Musical, Stephan Elliott, Terence Stamp, transsexual, transvestite2 Comments

This is my all-time favourite film.

Hugo Weaving, Terence Stamp and Guy Pearce star as a pair of drag queens and a transsexual who drive to a hotel in the middle of the Australian outback to perform a show.

Priscilla is their magnificent bus and as the title would suggest this film is all about the journey.

The costumes are fabulous, the soundtrack is unapologetically camp and the characters are perfection; filled with hilarious one-liners, an unapologetic (at times almost nihilistic) determination to be themselves and genuine affection for each other that gets them through what life throws at them.