James Gandolfini – 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 – 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.