Definitely more Rocky Horror than Mamma Mia, with ample helpings of Bye Bye Birdie, and something of the Hammer Horror about it, this film defies accurate description.
Stepphy (Jane Levy) is a small-town girl with hopes of becoming a singer. But when her dad burns her acceptance letter to a national singing competition her dreams of meeting heart-throb Bobby Shore (Justin Chatwin) are dashed. Or are they? And what’s this about a leak at the local chemical plant?
There is nothing more I can say about this film except that it will be nothing like anything you’ve ever seen before.
Based on Roald Dahl’s classic children’s story, with an all-star cast (George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray), Wes Anderson (The Grand Budapest Hotel, Darjeeling Limited) chose stop-motion animation to adapt this to the big screen.
And he made the right choice. The combination of quirky animation, eccentric characters and utterly delightful use of language make you feel as though you are living the book.
There are some unfortunate Hollywood stereotypes that sneak into it. All the evil farmers are British and the animals are all American. However, it still captures the charm of the original story.
I was lucky enough to see this at Bath Film Festival in November, and have been shouting about it ever since.
This stunning Irish animation follows Saoirsa and her older brother, Ben, and their faithful dog, Cu, on an adventure through a magical world of Selkies (people who become seals) and other figures of Celtic mythology. There is heart-break, there is magic and the most important element of all, family.
Visually mesmerising and with a wonderful cast on vocals, this is a truly lovely film. from the makers of The Secret of Kells, suitable for anyone aged 8 to 80 and beyond!
Years ago my mother used to say to me, she’d say, “In this world, Elwood, you must be” – she always called me Elwood – “In this world, Elwood, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant.” Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. You may quote me.
Elwood P Dowd
I love Jimmy Stewart. I should get that out of the way to start.
So, it came as a surprise when I stumbled over this feature a couple of years ago that I hadn’t seen it sooner. Since first watching it, I have bought it for at least three separate friends and family members and am compiling a list of others I think need to see it.
Mr Stewart plays Elwood P Dowd, a well-liked man in a small town who happens to be best friends with Harvey, an invisible six-foot rabbit. Elwood describes Harvey as a Pooka, a creature from Celtic myth. Chaos ensues as Elwood’s eccentric sister worries about the affect of his actions on her daughter’s marriage prospects. His sanity is questioned and what follows is a farcical romp of a tale, with Elwood at it’s cool, calm centre.
Stewart is delightful in this role: being charming and introducing baffled family and friends to an acquaintance only he can see seems to be the part he was born to play. He was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role, but was robbed by José Ferrer.
In 2008, this film was ranked number 8 in the American Film Institutes top ten list of fantasy films. Honestly, despite its stiff competition, I’m only surprised it didn’t come higher. This film is sublime.
Set in a steampunk world in the midst of war, we follow Sofi as she’s cursed by the Witch of the Waste and finds herself caught up with the mighty sorcerer, Howl.
There is a dubbed version, with the vocal styling of Christian Bale, Lauren Bacall and Billy Crystal. They do a fantastic job, but the best way to watch it is in the original Japanese.
As with all Hayao Miyazaki’s animation, it is beautiful and perfectly compliments this fantastical story.
Don’t dismiss this as a children’s film; it is so much more.
Vladislav (Jemaine Clement), Viago (Taika Waititi) and Deacon (Jonathan Brugh) are flatmates. They are also best friends. They argue over chores, they help each other decide what to wear, they even host dinner parties at which they torture mortals together and drink their blood.
From the minds behind Flight of the Conchords and Eagle Vs Shark comes a supernatural mockumentary like no other. Whether or not your like “vampire movies” is irrelevant. All you need is a sense of humour.
You will laugh, you will cringe and there will be blood.
cinemescope 