100 Words… – Page 9

100 Word Review – O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)

September 8, 2015April 15, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., ComedyTagged 1930s, adventure, America, Comedy, Ethan Coen, George Clooney, Holly Hunter, Joel Coen, John Goodman, John Turturro, Tim Blake NelsonLeave a comment

Joel and Ethan Coen, the Coen Brothers (Big Lebowski, The Hudsucker Proxy), do it again.

Set in 1930s American Deep South, three escaped convicts (George Clooney, John Turturro and Tim Blake Nelson) attempt to avoid the authorities, tangling with a range of weird and wonderful characters, on their quest for hidden treasure.

Loosely based on Homer’s Odyssey and co-starring John Goodman and Holly Hunter, this film manages to be simultaneously charming, familiar and epic.

Nominated for Oscars in Screenplay and Cinematography, it is absolutely full of laughs, a soundtrack that will get your toes tapping and, above everything else, heart.

100 Word Review – The Addams Family (1991)

September 6, 2015April 15, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., ComedyTagged 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, Angelica Huston, Carel Struycken, Christina Ricci, Christopher Lloyd, Comedy, family, Jimmy Workman, morbid, Raul JuliaLeave a comment

Margaret: Where’s your costume?

Wednesday: This is my costume. I’m a homicidal maniac. They look just like everybody else.

Adapted from The New Yorker satirical comic strip of the 1940s and the TV series of the 1960s and 1970s, this time the inversion of the ideal American family are hitting the silver screen.

After going missing in the Bermuda Triangle for 25 years, Uncle Fester (Christopher Lloyd) is reunited with Gomez (Raul Julia), Morticia (Angelica Huston), Wednesday (Christina Ricci), Pugsley (Jimmy Workman) and Lurch (Carel Struycken). But is everything as it appears.

Family-friendly fun, albeit with a morbid sense of humour.

100 Word Review – All About Eve (1950)

September 5, 2015April 15, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., Action, DramaTagged Anne Baxter, Bette Davis, Drama, George Sanders, Hollywood, IMDb, Joseph L Mankiewicz, Marilyn Monroe, Oscars, ThrillerLeave a comment

A magnificent example of classic Hollywood.

Star Margo Channing (Bette Davis) believes that ingenue Eve (Anne Baxter) is trying to climb Hollywood’s career ladder by using her as a stepping stone.

It’s a truly twisted tale of deception, ambition and betrayal.

Witten and directed by Joseph L Mankiewicz (Cleopatra, Guys and Dolls), this film has won six Oscars including Best Directing and Best Screenplay and was nominated for a further eight. It even beat Sunset Boulevard for Best Picture and holds the record for the greatest number of female action Oscar nominations. It is currently number 100 on IMDb’s Top 250 films.

100 Word Review – The Lunchbox (2013)

September 4, 2015April 15, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., RomanceTagged BAFTA, food, Indian, Irrfan Khan, Nimrat Kaur, Ritesh Batra, Romance, SubtitlesLeave a comment

This is a beautiful understated example of modern Indian filmmaking.

Ila (Nimrat Kaur) sends her husband lunch to work every day with the famous infallible Mumbai lunchbox delivery service. In an attempt to kick-start her marriage she puts a message in the box, which reaches bachelor Saajan (Irrfan Khan).

Written and directed by Ritesh Batra, it is a wonderful film about the power of the written word and rediscovering ourselves through food. It is romantic, underplayed and brilliantly done, with superb leads and an excellent supporting cast. It has won 28 awards including a BAFTA and been nominated for a further 37.

100 Word Review – Some Like It Hot (1959)

September 3, 2015April 15, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., Comedy, RomanceTagged 1920s, 1950s, Billy Wilder, Comedy, IMDb, Jack Lemmon, Joe E Brown, Marilyn Monroe, Oscar, Romance, St Valentines Day Massacre, Tony CurtisLeave a comment

Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon star in this classic 1950s Oscar-winning romantic comedy.

When Joe (Curtis) and Jerry (Lemmon) accidentally witness the 1929 St Valentines Day Massacre, they join a women-only band to escape the mob who want them silenced.

This is a very, very silly film.

That said, it is also clever, funny and brilliantly directed by the hugely talented Billy Wilder (Sunset Boulevard, The Apartment). It is dramatic, engaging and speaks volumes about the strict gender roles of the time. It’s currently number 112 on IMDb’s Top 250 films and has the single greatest last line of any movie.

100 Word Review – Hairspray (2007)

September 1, 2015April 15, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., ComedyTagged 1960s, Allison Janney, Amanda Bynes, Brittany Snow, Christopher Walken, Comedy, Elijah Kelley, James Marsden, John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer, Musical, Nikki Blonsky, Queen Latifah, Rikki Lake, Taylor Parks, Tonys, Zac EfronLeave a comment

This film may appear corny to start with but it has a heart of gold and a timeless sense of humour.

Tracy’s (Nikki Blonsky) a large girl with a personality to match, determined to dance on a local daytime TV show.

Co-starring Michelle Pfeiffer, John Travolta, Christopher Walken, Queen Latifah, Amanda Bynes, James Marsden, Brittany Snow, Zac Efron, Elijah Kelley, Taylor Parks (pictured) and Allison Janney, this is a musical of epic proportions.

Based on the 8-time Tony Award Winning musical set in segregated 1960s Baltimore and the 1988 film adaptation starring Rikki Lake, it’s an up-beat comedy not to miss.

100 Word Review – Last Action Hero (1993)

August 31, 2015April 15, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., Action, ComedyTagged Action, adventure, Arnie, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Austin O'Brien, Charles Dance, Comedy, family, Game of ThronesLeave a comment

Arnie’s back.

Danny (Austin O’Brien) is a young boy with a big imagination, obsessed with his favourite action hero Jack Slater (Arnold Schwarzenegger). When he is given a ticket to the latest Slater flick he jumps at the chance, little suspecting that he might become part of the action…

Co-staring the magnetic Charles Dance (Tywin Lannister from Game of Thrones), this is lighter and more comedic than a lot of Arnie’s ouevre, but doesn’t quite fit in to his family-friendly-range (see Junior or Twins). It’s a joy to watch, full of the ridiculous one-liners and explosions we’ve come to expect.

100 Word Review – Up (2009)

August 30, 2015April 15, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., Comedy, DramaTagged Action, adventure, animation, Bob Peterson, Christopher Plummer, Comedy, Drama, Edward Asner, family, IMDb, Oscars, Pete Doctor, pixar2 Comments

Possibly one of Pixar’s most beautiful family features.

Carl (voiced by Edward Asner) has lived a long life. Now widowed and alone, Carl will stop at nothing to prevent developers from seizing his property, including flying away.

Written and directed by Pete Doctor (Inside Out, Wall.E) and Bob Peterson (Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc.), it captures the spirit of adventure that lives on in us long after our childhood years. Christopher Plummer along with both directors and various members of their family, lent his voice to the film.

Winner of two Oscars for music and animation, it’s now #114 in IMDb’s Top 250.

100 Word Review – Rush (2013)

August 29, 2015April 15, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., DramaTagged biopic, cars, Chris Hemsworth, Daniel Bruhl, Drama, Formula One, James Hunt, Niki Lauda, Peter Morgan, racing, Ron HowardLeave a comment

You don’t have to care or know anything about racing cars to enjoy this film.

Based the true story of the rivalry between James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and Niki Lauda (Daniel Bruhl) on and off the track in the heady world of 1970s Formula One.

It is moving, tense and at points truly mesmerising. Bruhl’s extraordinary performance as Lauda was recognised by a Golden Globe nomination.

Written by the Oscar nominated Peter Morgan (The Last King Of Scotland, Frost/Nixon) and directed by Oscar winner Ron Howard (Frost/Nixon, A Beautiful Mind), this biopic is breath-taking. It is currently #160 of IMDb’s Top 250.

100 Word Review – The Lion King (1994)

August 28, 2015April 15, 2016Posted in 100 Words...Tagged Ernie Sabella, IMDb, James Earl Jones, Matthew Broderick, Musical, Nathan Lane, Oscars, Tony3 Comments

Winner of two Oscars for its music and nominated for a further two, this is an undoubted jewel in the Disney crown, demonstrated further by the six-time Tony Award winning musical it spawned.

The plot is, arguably, a child-friendly version of Hamlet.

Simba (voiced in part by Matthew Broderick), a lion cub devastated by the loss of his father, Mufasa (James Earl Jones) abandons his pride and makes unlikely friends in to form of meerkat Timon (Nathan Lane) and warthog Pumbaa (Ernie Sabella).

The film itself is beautifully done, with stunning animation, and is currently number 54 on IMDb’s top 250 list.