Catherine O’Hara – cinemescope

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 – Penelope (2006)

April 28, 2015March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., F-Rated, Fantasy, RomanceTagged American, British, Catherine O'Hara, Christina Ricci, fairytale, Fantasy, James McAvoy, Nick Frost, Penelope, Peter Dinklage, Reese Witherspoon, Richard E. Grant, RomanceLeave a comment

Born with a pig snout and pig ears because of an ancient curse on her family, Penelope (Christina Ricci) must hide from the world until she can finally be accepted by one “of her own kind”.

The cast is baffling; James McAvoy, Catherine O’Hara, Richard E. Grant, Reese Witherspoon, Peter Dinklage and Nick Frost to name a few. The accents are beyond confusing. Some are British, some American, no logic applies.

This is a fairytale, but not in the traditional sense. It’s about mothers and daughters. It’s about appearances and curses and self-confidence. It is weird and it is wonderful.