100 Words… – Page 3

100 Word Review – Demolition (2015)

April 15, 2016April 13, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., Comedy, DramaTagged Bryan Sipe, Chris Cooper, Comedy, Drama, Heather Lind, Jake Gyllenhaal, Jean-Marc Vallee, Judah Lewis, Naomi Watts, RomanceLeave a comment

LIFE: Some Disassembly Required. – Tagline

After losing his wife (Heather Lind) in a car accident that left him unscathed, Davis (Jake Gyllenhaal) writes a series of increasingly confessional complaint letters to a vending machine company. He also starts taking things apart.

Co-starring Naomi Watts, Chris Cooper and Judah Lewis (definitely a young actor to look out for), this film finds humour and sympathy in the cathartic actions of one man.

Directed by Jean-Marc Vallee (Wild, Dallas Buyers Club, The Young Victoria) and written by Bryan Sipe, it is funny, heartbreaking and brilliantly destructive. It also has a toe-tappingly wonderful soundtrack.

100 Word Review – Where The Wild Things Are (2009)

April 13, 2016April 13, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., Drama, FantasyTagged adaptation, adventure, Catherine O'Hara, dark, Drama, Fantasy, Forest Whitaker, James Gandolfini, magic, Maurice Sendak, Max Records, Paul Dano, Spike JonzeLeave a comment

Based on the award winning children’s book by Maurice Sendak, this film is an exploration of the dark and wonderful imagination of a child called Max.

A young boy called Max (Max Records) runs away from home following a tantrum, retreating to a world of his own imagining full of wild beasts who hail Max as their King.

James Gandolfini, Paul Dano, Forest Whitaker and Catherine O’Hara provide voices for the wild things. Adapted and directed by Spike Jonze (Her, Being John Malkovich) it retains much of the awe inspiring magic of the book while adding a more complex plot.

100 Word Review – Saw (2004)

April 11, 2016April 8, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., Horror, ThrillerTagged Cary Elwes, Danny Glover, dark, gore, Horror, James Wan, Leigh Whannell, Psychological, Thriller, violence9 Comments

Although Cary Elwes will always be Westley, this has to be counted among his best performances. Ignore the rest of the franchise and consider this as a stand alone work of art and horror.

Two men (Elwes and Leigh Whannell) wake up in a dingy bathroom to find they are chained to the wall as part of a sick game set up by a notorious serial killer, with only a saw to help them escape.

It’s emotional, visceral and twisted, with enough plot to keep you on your toes throughout. This isn’t a slasher; it’s a psychological thriller with gore.

100 Word Review – Cloud Atlas

April 9, 2016April 7, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., Action, Drama, Fantasy, Romance, Sci Fi, UncategorizedTagged Action, adaptation, adventure, Ben Whishaw, British, David Mitchell, Doona Bae, Drama, dystopian, Fantasy, Halle Berry, Hugh Grant, Hugo Weaving, James D'Arcy, Jim Broadbent, Jim Sturgess, Romance, Sci Fi, Susan Sarandon, Tom Hanks, Tom Tykwer, Wachowski Brothers, WachowskisLeave a comment

Adapted from David Mitchell’s novel and directed by Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run, Perfume:The Story of a Murderer) and the Wachowskis (The Matrix, V for Vendetta), this film is extraordinary.

There is no describing the plot. It crosses time and space in seconds, covering both the past, present and future as well as alternate worlds.

The cast is fantastic (Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Hugo Weaving, Hugh Grant, Doona Bae, Jim Broadbent, Susan Sarandon) and the cinematography is exquisite. There is simply too much to see to take it in with one viewing. This film is Romantic with a capital R.

100 Word Review – Network (1976)

April 7, 2016April 7, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., DramaTagged 1970s, dark, Drama, Faye Dunaway, IMDb, Oscars, Peter Finch, Robert Duvall, Sidney Lumet, William HoldenLeave a comment

“I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore!”

When an ageing news anchor (Peter Finch) announces his suicide live on air, TV execs (Faye Dunaway, William Holden, Robert Duvall) look to exploit the spike in ratings.

Directed by Sidney Lumet (12 Angry Men, Dog Day Afternoon), this film won 4 Oscars including both Best Actor and Best Actress, and was nominated for a further 6.

Dark, cynical and provocative, it is a magnificent example of the power of filmmaking, successfully hitting a little too close to home no matter what decade you’re watching it in. Currently #181 on IMDb’s Top 250.

100 Word Review – Zootropolis (2016)

April 5, 2016April 5, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., Action, Comedy, FantasyTagged adventure, animation, children, Comedy, Disney, family, Ginnifer Goodwin, Idris Elba, Jason Bateman, Jenny Slate, JK Simmons, ShakiraLeave a comment

In a world where predators and prey finally live in harmony, a bunny (Ginnifer Goodwin) tries to buck the social order by becoming a police rabbit, a profession dominated by predators.

It has possibly one of the best trailers around (see below), a fantastic vocal cast (Jason Bateman, Idris Elba, Shakira and Jenny Slate) and sense of humour sure to tickle both adults and children alike. Watch out for the Breaking Bad joke! From the creators of Tangled, Wreak It Ralph, Big Hero 6 and Frozen, it was always going to be a winner. It’s definitely worth seeing at the cinema.

100 Word Review – Room (2015)

March 5, 2016March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., Drama, F-RatedTagged adaptation, Brie Larson, dark, Drama, Emma Donodhue, IMDb, Jacob Tremblay, Lenny Abrahamson, OscarsLeave a comment

Adapted from the best selling novel by Emma Donoghue by the author herself, and directed by Lenny Abrahamson (Frank, What Richard Did), this film perfectly captures the sense of claustrophobia and terror of the two awe-inspiring leads.

Jack (Jacob Tremblay) is five. He has lived his whole life in one room with his mother (Brie Larson), visited only by their captor, Old Nick (Sean Bridges).

A heartbreaking story that there are far too many chilling modern day examples of. Tremblay is extraordinary, and Larson is well deserving of her Oscar. Currently #119 on IMDb’s Top 250, make sure you’re prepared to cry.

100 Word Review – Spotlight (2015)

March 2, 2016Posted in 100 Words...Leave a comment

This is one of those films you really wish wasn’t based on real events.

In Boston in 2001, a group of reporters for the Spotlight section of the Boston Globe investigate allegations of priests sexually assaulting minors.

Written by Tom McCarthy (Up) and Josh Singer (The Fifth Estate), with an all-star cast headed-up by Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber and Stanley Tucci, it is truly worthy of its Best Picture Oscar.

It is dark, personal and guaranteed to shock you to your core. The only words left to say are “Holy shit!” in every sense of that phrase.

100 Word Review – Dogma (1999)

February 22, 2016March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., Comedy, FantasyTagged adventure, Alan Rickman, Ben Affleck, Chris Rock, Comedy, Fantasy, George Carlin, Jason Lee, Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, Linda Florentino, Matt Damon, religious, Salma HayekLeave a comment

Abortion clinic worker and half-hearted Catholic Bethany (Linda Florentino) is visited by an angel (Alan Rickman) and instructed to stop a couple of fallen angels (Ben Affleck and Matt Damon) from ending the world.

Written and directed by Kevin Smith (Clerks, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back), it somehow manages to satirises institutional Catholicism without criticising those with genuine faith.

Co-starring Chris Rock, Jason Lee, Salma Hayek and George Carlin, the film is a mixture of toilet humour, road movie and religious dogma that somehow works. For fan’s of Smith’s work, don’t worry; Jay and Silent Bob lend helping hands.

100 Word Review – Deadpool (2016)

February 21, 2016March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., Comedy, Romance, Sci FiTagged Action, adaptation, Brianna Hildebrand, Comedy, comic book, dark, Ed Skrein, IMDb, Morena Baccarin, Romance, Ryan Reynolds, Sci Fi, Tim MillerLeave a comment

This may be the perfect comic book movie.

Set in the X-Men universe, this is an origin story film for the funniest mutant around, Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds).

It’s the first feature for director Tim Miller, who was involved in the visual effects for Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, and it was written by the team behind Zombieland. It’s stylised, it’s got a dry and dark sense of humour, and it shows a tongue-in-cheek self-awareness which is missing from the more run-of-the-mill comic book movies.

Even the opening credits are hysterical. It’s not suitable for children, but definitely for everyone else!