Comedy – Page 7 – cinemescope

100 Word Review – Lars and The Real Girl (2007)

August 22, 2015March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., Comedy, DramaTagged Comedy, Drama, Emily Mortimer, family, mental illness, Nancy Oliver, Paul Schneider, Ryan GoslingLeave a comment

One of the best films I have ever seen about coping with mental illness in a loved one.

Lars (Ryan Gosling) is an awkward young man who brings his girlfriend over for dinner with his brother (Paul Schneider) and sister-in-law (Emily Mortimer). She is a sex doll called Bianca, that Lars ordered online and is having a deep and meaningful relationship with.

Writer Nancy Oliver (Six Feet Under, True Blood) was nominated for an Oscar for her work. This film is moving beyond belief, but in a really happy way. It’s touching and subtle and dry and very very human.

100 Word Review – In The Loop (2009)

August 20, 2015March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., Comedy, DramaTagged Armando Iannucci, Chris Addison, Comedy, Drama, James Gandolfini, Peter Capaldi, political, satire, Tom HollanderLeave a comment

This is a political satire to end all political satires.

MP Simon Foster (Tom Hollander) with his assistant Toby (Chris Addison) and spin doctor Malcolm Tucker (Peter Capaldi) head state-side as representatives of the British Parliament in an attempt to ensure another war doesn’t start.

Co-written and directed by the marvellous Armando Iannucci (Alan Partridge, Veep), and co-starring James Gandolfini, this could not help but be a masterpiece of dry-wit and comedic filmmaking.

It has the feel of a fly-on-the-wall documentary, which ties in with the “funny because it’s true” sensibility of the script perfectly. It is also endlessly quotable.

100 Word Review – The Skeleton Twins (2014)

August 18, 2015March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., Comedy, DramaTagged Bill Hader, Comedy, Craig Johnson, Drama, Kristen Wiig, Luke Wilson, Mark Heyman, siblings, twins, Ty BurrellLeave a comment

From writer and director Craig Johnson (True Adolescents) and co-writer Mark Heyman (Black Swan, The Wrestler), comes this bitter-sweet drama about the strength of shared childhoods and sibling bonds.

Milo (Bill Hader) a failed actor, attempts suicide. His estranged twin sister Maggie (Kristen Wiig) gets the call as she is on the verge of doing the same. Forced back into each others lives after 10 years apart, they rediscover each other, themselves and just try to survive.

Co starring the equally wonderful Luke Wilson and Ty Burrell, this is a quirky moving film with moments of comedy, karma and catharsis.

100 Word Review – Girl Most Likely (2012)

August 17, 2015March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., Comedy, Drama, F-Rated, RomanceTagged Annette Bening, Christopher Fitzgerald, Comedy, Darren Criss, Drama, Kristen Wiig, Matt Dillon, Netflix, quirky, RomanceLeave a comment

Currently available on Netflix, this such an underrated film.

Imogene (Kristen Wiig), a failing playwright, moves back in with her mother (Annette Bening), younger brother (Christopher Fitzgerald) in New Jersey after her career and relationship end up on the rocks.

Darren Criss and Matt Dillon are wonderful as the two strange men who are also living under her mother’s roof.

This film is an emotionally-tangled subtle masterpiece. It’s funny, quirky and moving. While everyone involved is fantastic, Wiig and Criss are a delight, but Dillon steals the show, with a performance I am talking about months after first seeing it.

100 Word Review – Trainwreck (2015)

August 15, 2015March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., Comedy, F-Rated, RomanceTagged Amy Schumer, Bill Hader, Comedy, Judd Apatow, New York, Romance, Tilda SwintonLeave a comment

This is more than your average rom com.

Amy (Amy Schumer) is a commitment-phobe, hopping from one night stand to one night stand until her magazine sends her to write an article about sports doctor Aaron (Bill Hader).

Written by the wonderful Schumer and directed by Judd Apatow (Knocked Up, The 40 Year Old Virgin), this has some comedy heavy-weights behind it as well as some extraordinary cameos.

Schumer and Hader are spectacular as the leads and, despite Tilda Swinton’s truly unusual English accent, the supporting cast are superb. Funny, moving, awkward and almost always unexpected, it is an absolute treat.

100 Word Review – 22 Jump Street (2014)

August 14, 2015March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., Action, ComedyTagged Action, adaptation, Channing Tatum, Comedy, Jonah HillLeave a comment

They’re back, and this time they’re going to College.

The sequel to 21 Jump Street, this time Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) are masquerading as college students to bring down a drug ring.

Don’t panic if you think this sounds awfully familiar, the fact that the basic plot is almost exactly the same as the first film does not go unmentioned. Very cleverly written, the feature is magnificently meta, breaking down every fourth wall that comes in its path.

Whether you are in it for the action, the gross-out humour, the wit or just Channing Tatum, you’ll love it.

100 Word Review – 21 Jump Street (2012)

August 13, 2015March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., ComedyTagged Action, Channing Tatum, Christopher Miller, Comedy, Jonah Hill, Phil Lord, police, teen2 Comments

I should start by saying I never watched the original TV show, but this is fantastic film stands alone.

Jenko (Channing Tatum) and Schmidt (Jonah Hill) work for undercover police department, Jump Street. Their assignment? To infiltrate a high school and bring down a drug ring.

Although this may at first glance appear to be full of obvious humour, it also does an excellent job of playing off these expectations. This is not your average teen comedy with a drug bust thrown in.

Directed by Christopher Miller and Phil Lord, the team behind The Lego Movie, it is just brilliant.

100 Word Review – Welcome To Me (2014)

August 11, 2015March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., Comedy, Drama, F-RatedTagged Alan Tudyk, Comedy, Drama, James Marsden, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Joan Cusack, Kristen Wiig, Linda Cardellini, mental illness, Oprah Winfrey, Tim Robbins, tv, Wes BentleyLeave a comment

Is there nothing that Kristen Wiig can’t do?

Alice Klieg (Wiig), a woman with an Oprah Winfrey obsession, goes off her psychiatric meds, wins the lottery and decides to host her own talk show with her winnings.

James Marsden, Linda Cardellini, Joan Cusack, Alan Tudyk, Tim Robbins, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Wes Bentley all co-star in this simultaneously funny and moving story about how we perceive ourselves and how that can be distorted by mental illness and television.

Wiig is sublime as Alice, demonstrating a mastery of comic timing and intimate moments that gives the film its edge. A must-see.

100 Word Review – 50/50 (2011)

August 8, 2015March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., Comedy, DramaTagged Anna Kendrick, cancer, Comedy, Drama, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogan, Will ReiserLeave a comment

Despite any advertising the contrary, this is not a comedy.

It is a moving drama about Kylie (Seth Rogan) trying to help his friend Adam (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) through his struggle with cancer.

Having said that, it is hilarious at points and there are funny moments throughout. But to call it a comedy is to imply a levity unfitting of the subject matter.

Screenwriter Will Reiser based it on his own experiences after being encouraged to write it by Rogan, the friend who helped him battle with cancer in his early 20s.

It’s masterfully done, handling itself with grace and humour.

100 Word Review – The Lost Boys (1987)

August 7, 2015March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., Comedy, Drama, RomanceTagged 1980s, Comedy, Corey Feldman, Corey Haim, Dianne Wiest, Drama, Edward Herrmann, gore, Horror, Jason Patrick, Joel Schumacher, Kiefer Sutherland, Romance, teen, VampiresLeave a comment

Long before they glittered, they hung around seaside amusements and tormented teenagers.

Michael (Jason Patrick) moves with his mother (Dianne Wiest) and brother (Corey Haim) to a small coastal town in California which is plagued by biker gangs and mysterious deaths.

Kiefer Sutherland is mesmerising as David, leader of the gang, Edward Herrmann’s on top form, as usual, and what 80s film would be complete without Corey Feldman? Directed by Joel Schumacher (Batman Forever, Phone Booth), what’s not to love?

This film is huge amounts of fun, with a bit of gore, romance and horror thrown in for good measure.