100 Word Review – Zoolander (2001)

This film is really really ridiculously good looking.

Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson star as Derek and Hansel, rival male models. Little do they know that they are pawns in an industry corrupted by power and political greed.

Christine Taylor, Will Ferrell and Milla Jovovich co-star in this ridiculous comedy. Directed by Stiller and co-written by him, it has some truly brilliant cameos and is almost worth watching just for that. It is also endlessly quotable to the point where it has become a true cult classic. If you plan on watching the sequel, make sure to see this first.

100 Word Review – Seven Psychopaths (2012)

If I tell you this was written and directed by Martin McDonagh of In Bruges fame, that may give you a little bit of an idea of what to expect.

Starting Sam Rockwell, Colin Farrell, Woody Harrelson, Christopher Walken, Tom Waits, Abbie Cornish and Michael Pitt, it sits somewhere between comedy and killing spree.

Set in the criminal underbelly of LA and following a struggling screenwriter (Farrell) in a search , it is as bat shit crazy as you could hope for. Expect violence and dark humour from the outset and it

The moral? Don’t mess with a man’s shih tzu.

100 Word Review – Zoolander 2 (2016)

Fifteen years after the original, blue steel is back.

Written by Justin Theroux and co-written and directed by Ben Stiller (the team behind Tropic Thunder), Zoolander (Stiller) and Hansel (Owen Wilson) are once more involved in an international terror plot. All of the old characters are back with some new faces (Kristen Wiig and Penelope Cruz) and some truly bizarre and unexpected cameos.

I don’t want to give anything away but if you enjoyed the first you will find this one really, really ridiculously good looking. If you haven’t seen Zoolander, I’d imagine you would find it a little baffling.

100 Word Review – Josie and the Pussycats (2001)

Josie and the pussycats

“Conform! Free will is overrated! Jump on the bandwagon! There is no such place as Area 51!”

Josie (Rachael Leigh Cook), Valerie (Rosario Dawson) and Melody (Tara Reid) are The Pussycats, until they find themselves caught up in the middle of a subliminal international conspiracy to influence the world’s youth.

Seth Green, Breckin Meyer, Donald Faison and Alexander Martin co-star as boy band Du Jour, whose questionable lyrics will stick with you for days.

Written and directed by Harry Elfont and Deborah Kaplan (Can’t Hardly Wait, Surviving Christmas) and adapted from the Archie comics, expect brilliant silliness from beginning to end.

100 Word Review – Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

The Monty Python (Life of Brian, Meaning of Life) guys are on a quest.

Follow King Arthur (Graham Chapman), Lancelot The Brave (John Cleese), Sir Galahad the Pure (Michael Palin) and Sir Robin the Not-Quite-So-Brave-As-Sir Lancelot (Eric Idle) along with a host of other characters (Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam) as they seek the Holy Grail.

Complete with witches, shrubberies, unladen swallows, a killer bunny and a castle of French men, this film is everything you would expect from the Monty Python crew. Gilliam’s animation are wonderful as always, as are the random jokes. Endlessly quotable, historically inaccurate and thoroughly British.

100 Word Review – While You Were Sleeping (1995)

sandra bullock while you were sleeping

Sandra Bullock (The Heat, Miss Congeniality, Speed) at her absolute finest in this classic 1990s Rom Com.

Lucy (Bullock) sells tickets at a train station, when a handsom stranger (Peter Gallagher) falls onto the tracks and she rescues him. Mistaken by his family for his fiancé, comedy, romance and drama ensue.

Bill Pullman (Independence Day) co-stars along with some other familiar 1990s faces. Do not let the fact it was directed by Jon Turteltaub (of National Treasure fame) put you off. It’s a wonderful film, nominated for a Golden Globe among other awards, that will leave you feeling warm inside.

100 Word Review – Tammy (2014)

Written by, directed by and starring the wonderful Melissa McCarthy and her husband Ben Falcone, this deserves far more than the pitiful IMDb score it’s received.

Tammy (McCarthy) is fired from her job (by Falcone) and finds out her husband (Nat Faxon) is cheating on her (with Toni Collette) in the same day. Against her mother’s (Allison Janney) wishes, she takes off with her grandmother (Susan Sarandon) on a road trip that will change her life.

Watch it for the awesome cast, the brilliant moments of understated humour and the raucous laugh-out-loud comedy. It’s wonderfully human and just downright delightful.

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100 Word Review – Stardust (2007)

Adapted from Neil Gaiman’s (Coraline, Mirrormask) brilliant novel, prepare for a fabulous flight of fantasy.

Determined to prove his love by returning with a fallen star, Tristan (Charlie Cox) sets out into the land beyond the wall, unaware of the witches, kings and pirates waiting for him on the other side.

Dream-team Matthew Vaughn and Jane Goldman (Kick-Ass, Kingsman) wrote and directed this seriously star-studded film. Clare Danes, Ian McKellen, Mark Strong, Michelle Pfeiffer and Robert De Niro co-star to name just the best known. It’s fun, mostly family friendly, funny and completely fantastic in every sense of the word.

100 Word Review – Toy Story (1995)

I love this film and honestly don’t quite understand anyone who doesn’t.

Woody (Tom Hanks) is a much-loved cowboy toy, whose world is shifted by the arrival of a Buzz (Tim Allen), the latest cool space ranger toy.

Directed by John Lassater (A Bugs Life, Cars)  and with the likes of Pete Docter (Up, Inside Out) and Joss Whedon (Avengers: Age of Ultron, In Your Eyes) writing the script, there is no doubt that Pixar was always on to a winner. Funny, sweet and exciting, it was nominated for three Oscars, and currently sits at #96 on IMDb’s top 250 films list.