100 Words… – Page 7

100 Word Review – Kissing Jessica Stein (2001)

October 26, 2015March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., Comedy, Drama, F-Rated, RomanceTagged Comedy, Drama, Heather Juergensen, Jennifer Westfeldt, RomanceLeave a comment

Written by and starring the wonderful Jennifer Westfeldt (Friends With Kids, Ira & Abby) and Heather Juergensen.

After a series of unfortunate dates, Jessica (Westfeldt) decides to explore her sexuality when she reads a personal ad that piques her interest. Unsure of where her preferences lie, she sets forth to meet Helen (Juergensen) and find out what she needs from a relationship.

Sweet, awkward and funny, it explores the fluid nature of sexuality and what is required in a relationship without being crude, obvious or overtly sexual. Westfeldt is fantastic as the uncertain Jessica, playing perfectly of Juergensen’s sexually confident Helen.

100 Word Review – The Martian (2015)

October 16, 2015March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., Sci FiTagged adaptation, Andy Weir, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Donald Glover, Drew Goddard, Jeff Daniels, Jessica Chastain, Kate Mara, Kristen Wiig, Matt Damon, Ridley Scott, Sci Fi, Sean BeanLeave a comment

Based on Andy Weir’s novel, more than a rescue-Matt-Damon-movie.

Presumed dead, Mark Watney (Damon) is left alone on Mars. Will he get a signal to NASA? And if he does will he survive as the only person on an inhospitable planet?

The cast for this film is extraordinary, but the best thing about it’s the combination of Sci Fi with actual science and a sense of humour. Adapted by Drew Goddard (The Cabin In The Woods) and directed by Ridley Scott (Alien), it pulls away from the “realistic” Sci Fis of recent years managing to be serious, tense and fun.

100 Word Review – Suffragette (2015)

October 9, 2015April 15, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., Action, F-RatedTagged Abi Morgan, Ben Whishaw, Brendan Gleeson, Carey Mulligan, Emily Davison, female, feminist, Helena Bonham Carter, Maud Watts, Meryl Streep, Pankhurst, Romola Garai, Sarah Gavron, suffragetteLeave a comment

A fantastic feat of female filmmaking.

Following the actions of a small group of women fighting for the right to vote in 1912.

Focusing on Maud Watts (Carey Mulligan), it is based in history and does a wonderful job at documenting a time, a struggle and a political movement that changed the world.

Co-starring Helena Bonham-Carter, Brendan Gleeson, Romola Garai, Ben Whishaw and Meryl Streep (among others), it was written by Sarah Gavron (Brick Lane) and directed by Abi Morgan (Shame, The Iron Lady).

Deliberately visually unsteady and dirty, it delivers a glimpse of the past that moved me to tears.

100 Word Review – The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013)

October 8, 2015March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., FantasyTagged adaptation, animation, Anime, Fantasy, Isao Takahata, Japanese2 Comments

A bamboo cutter finds a tiny princess in a bamboo shoot. He takes her home where she quickly grows into a young woman, delighted by the world around her.

Written and directed by Isao Takahata, the man behind Grave of the Fireflies, so expect a moving story. It is delicately animated like a children’s book, the style capturing the innocence at the centre of the story.

It’s full of pieces of stories that transcend geographical boundaries; Thumbalina, the Practical Princess and other such tales form the bones of a film which is ultimately about humanity and its capacity for good.

100 Word Review – In Bruges (2008)

October 6, 2015April 15, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., ComedyTagged Action, assassin, Brendan Gleeson, Colin Farrell, Comedy, Martin McDonagh, Ralph Fiennes1 Comment

After a botched assignment, two hit men (Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson) head to Bruges in an attempt to avoid the heat in London on the orders of mob boss Harry (Ralph Fiennes). But there is more to this mini vacation than there first appears…

Written and directed by Martin McDonagh (Seven Psychopaths), this may be the most hilariously twisted crime comedy I’ve ever seen.

Be warned, it’s not for the squeamish or the overly politically correct. It is dark, dry and just plain brilliant. The screenplay was nominated for an Oscar and how it didn’t win is beyond me.

100 Word Review – The Way Way Back (2013)

October 2, 2015April 15, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., Comedy, DramaTagged Allison Janney, Amanda Peet, Comedy, Drama, Jim Rash, Liam James, Maya Rudolph, Nat Faxon, Rob Corddry, Sam Rockwell, soundtrack, Steve Carrell, summer, Toni ColetteLeave a comment

Written and directed by Nat Faxon and Jim Rash (Community), I was always going to love this film.

Duncan (Liam James) is an awkward teenager on holiday with his mother (Toni Colette), over bearing step-father (Steve Carrell) and step-sister. Befriended by Owen (Sam Rockwell), an employee at a local water park, Duncan finds himself immersed in the easy-going world of Water Wizz.

Co-starring Allison Janney, Maya Rudolph, Rob Corddry and Amanda Peet, this is a wonderful feel good film about the joys of summer and finding the courage to choose your own path. It even has an excellent summer soundtrack.

100 Word Review – Girl, Interrupted (1999)

October 1, 2015April 15, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., DramaTagged 1960s, adaptation, Angelina Jolie, biopic, Brittany Murphy, Clea DuVall, Drama, Elisabeth Moss, Jared Leto, mental illness, Oscars, Susanna Kaysen, Vanessa Redgrave, Whoopi Goldberg, Winona RyderLeave a comment

Susanna (Winona Ryder) is committed by her parents after combining pills and vodka in what they see as an attempted suicide. In Cleymore mental hospital she meets the other patients, including the rabble rousing sociopath Lisa (Angelina Jolie)

Adapted from Susanna Kaysen’s autobiographical account of her 18 month stay in a mental hospital in 1960s by the writers of Gorillas In The Mist and Walk The Line.

The fantastic cast includes Whoopi Goldberg, Vanessa Redgrave, Elisabeth Moss, Brittany Murphy, Clea DuVall and Jared Leto; and that\s not even mentioning Jolie’s Oscar winning performance. This film is dark, magnificent and truly unforgettable.

100 Word Review – Men In Black (1997)

September 24, 2015April 15, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., Comedy, Sci FiTagged Action, adaptation, aliens, Barry Sonnefeld, Comedy, Ed Solomon, family, Lowell Cunningham, Sci Fi, Tommy Lee Jones, Will SmithLeave a comment

As a piece of my childhood I find it hard to be objective about this film. Having said that I’ve never met anyone who disliked it.

After seeing a suspect blink sideways, police officer Jay (Will Smith) is inducted into a top secret organisation that keeps the world safe from aliens who already live on Earth, the Men In Black. Tommy Lee Jones co-stars as MIB stalwart, Kay.

Adapted from Lowell Cunningham’s comic by Ed Solomon (Now You See Me, Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure) and directed by Barry Sonnefeld (Wild Wild West, Get Shorty), this film is brilliant fun.

100 Word Review – Amélie (2001)

September 23, 2015April 15, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., Comedy, Drama, RomanceTagged Audrey Tautou, Comedy, Drama, French, Jean Pierre Jeaunet, Matthieu Kassovitz, philosophical, quirky, Romance, SubtitlesLeave a comment

Romantic and whimsical in a quintessentially French fashion.

Amélie (Audrey Tautou) lives alone in Paris, working at a local cafe. The death of Princess Diana prompts her to find a hidden treasure in her flat. She starts doing good deeds and standing up for the less fortunate when she meets Nino (Matthieu Kassovitz).

Co-written and directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet (A Very Long Engagement, The City of Lost Children), it is stylishly shot with a truly lovely soundtrack. Quirky, beautiful and funny, it was nominated for five Oscars, including Art Direction and Cinematography, and is currently number 75 on IMDb’s Top 250 films.

100 Word Review – Megamind (2010)

September 22, 2015April 15, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., Fantasy, Sci FiTagged animation, Ben Stiller, Brad Pitt, David Cross, family, Fantasy, Jonah Hill, Sci Fi, super heroes, Tina Fey, Tom McGrath, Will Ferrell1 Comment

Don’t underestimate this film. It may not be Despicable Me, but definitely fits into that wheelhouse and is certainly worth a watch.

Megamind (Will Ferrell) is the ultimate super villain; he defeated his arch-nemesis Metro Man (Brad Pitt). But what is a villain with no one to struggle against?

Clearly based on the Superman origin story with an unusual perspective, it highlights everything that is brilliant about super heroes, as well as everything that isn’t.

Directed by Tom McGrath (Madagascar) and co-starring Jonah Hill, David Cross, Ben Stiller and Tina Fey, this film is great fun for all the family.