Woody Harrelson – cinemescope

100 Word Review – Seven Psychopaths (2012)

February 10, 2016March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., Comedy, DramaTagged Abbie Cornish, Action, Christopher Walken, Colin Farrell, Comedy, dark, Drama, Martin McDonagh, Michael Pitt, Sam Rockwell, Tom Waits, violence, Woody HarrelsonLeave a comment

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 – The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 (2014)

April 26, 2015March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., F-Rated, Sci FiTagged Action, adaptation, Donald Sutherland, dystopian, Elizabeth Banks, future, Hunger Games, Jennifer Lawrence, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Sci Fi, Stanley Tucci, Woody Harrelson1 Comment

You’ve seen the first one and the second one.

You are ready to follow Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) into District 13, the heart of the resistance. What will Snow (Donald Sutherland) do to punish her betrayal? Does she really have the moral high ground? Is she fit to be Mockingjay?

Heavily built on the sturdy foundations of the previous films, don’t start with this one. However, it takes a good hard look at the intricacies of rebellion and the power of propaganda which is covered so well in the book (Read. The. Books.).

It’s the things we love most that destroy us.

100 Word Review – The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)

April 25, 2015March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., F-Rated, Sci FiTagged adaptation, Donald Sutherland, dystopian, Elizabeth Banks, future, Hunger Games, Jena Malone, Jennifer Lawrence, Panem, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Sci Fi, Stanley Tucci, Toby Jones, Woody Harrelson1 Comment

Sequel to The Hunger Games (2012), Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) has survived her first Hunger Games, but will she survive the scrutinising gaze of The Capitol and Panem’s terrifying leader, President Snow (Donald Sutherland).

With all the drama and almost as much of the politics as the books (read the books!), this opens up Panem in a way the first film couldn’t.

The cast is fantastic (Philip Seymour Hoffman, Stanley Tucci, Toby Jones, Jenna Malone) and the visuals are just as breath-taking. Prepare yourself for media spin, duplicity and rebellion.

Nobody ever wins the games. Period. There are survivors. There’s no winners.

100 Word Review – The Hunger Games (2012)

April 22, 2015March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., F-Rated, Sci FiTagged adaptation, Battle Royale, dystopian, Elizabeth Banks, future, Jennifer Lawrence, Sci Fi, The Hunger Games, Woody Harrelson4 Comments

Read the books.

But, also, watch the film. It’s not as good, but still brilliant.

Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) volunteers her life in place of her sister’s when she is chosen to participate in The Hunger Games, a barbaric event designed to keep the masses in line in this dystopian future.

Yes, there are similarities, but it is more than an Americanised Battle Royale. Children are killing children to survive, but for the sport of the Capital. Battle Royale may be gruesome, but this is emotionally brutal.

Elizabeth Banks and Woody Harrelson are both stunning in their supporting roles. It’s magnificent.

100 Word Review – Zombieland (2009)

April 17, 2015March 6, 2016Posted in 100 Words..., ComedyTagged Abigail Breslin, Comedy, dead, Emma Stone, Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, zombies3 Comments

Although recently the U.S. have spawned (or summoned) many zombie films, this one stands severed head and shoulders above the rest.

The dead have risen and a reclusive student (Jesse Eisenberg) has survived by following a strict set of rules. But when he meets Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), a man on a mission to find Twinkies, he learns that even an apocalypse can be fun.

The film is made with style and a sense of humour and Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin are excellent as a pair of con artists they meet along the way. Watch out for the wonderful cameo.