Pitch-black comedy To my mind, comedy is the toughest genre to make work, especially when dealing with the darker side of the genre. Humour comes in various flavours, any of which may appeal to one person but not to another. I’m the type of person that enjoys black comedies, like Bernie. Richard Linklater’s film is based […]
Read more
In T2 Trainspotting, Renton (McGregor) and the gang are back wreaking havoc in Edinburgh once again, twenty years on from their 1996 drug-fuelled adventure. This sequel is everything I could have hoped for – it’s funny, entertaining, visually sharp and it’s a joy finding out what these characters, now middle-aged, have been up to… Renton: Heading […]
Read more
There’s little more that can be done with the ‘let’s make a band’ formula, but John Carney manages to create something really special with Sing Street. It’s a funny, lively, utterly brilliant coming-of-age story set in 1985 Dublin. It focuses on young Conor “Cosmo” Lawlor, who starts a rock band to impress a girl. This is a […]
Read more
Pleasantly funny, unassuming and strangely compelling, are some of the ways I would describe Hunt for the Wilderpeople. Waititi delivers a light comedy-drama, that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Dennison portrays Ricky Baker, a rebellious young boy who gets sent to live with a couple on a remote farm in the New Zealand countryside. Chaos ensues […]
Read more
It’s a filthy job getting to the top, especially for corrupt Edinburgh cop, Bruce Robertson (James McAvoy), who’s determined to secure a promotion to detective inspector. Drug-abusing and hard-drinking, he’s willing to do whatever means necessary to get what he wants. I’m always a sucker for any film starring James McAvoy. In comedy-drama Filth, adapted from […]
Read more
Living in the wilderness would be gruelling for most people, but the quirky gang in Captain Fantastic show us how it’s done. Viggo Mortensen plays super-dad Ben Cash in this heart-warming drama. He is the father of six kids, who have very peculiar names like Rellian and Bodevan, and he raises his children deep in the woods. […]
Read more
Why are British directors so good at making gritty and brutally comical films? That’s what we get in Ben Wheatley’s Sightseers. It’s a horror-comedy about a couple, Chris (Steve Oram) and Tina (Alice Lowe), who go on a cross-country road trip, and unleash their homicidal rage on anyone who rubs them up the wrong way. […]
Read more
The Lobster is exactly the type of film that would never get made in Hollywood. It’s disturbingly funny and totally off-beat. I’m not sure what it is about obscure films, but they always appeal to me. They offer such a rich viewing experience, I’m more than happy to sit through their weirdness. The Lobster is very strange […]
Read more
As a comedy about a guy with cancer, 50/50 treads a tricky line, but this thoughtful film manages to be both sensitive and very funny. Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as Adam Learner, a young man who finds out he has a malignant tumour along his spine, and as the title indicates, he has a 50/50 chance of survival. […]
Read more
Swiss Army Man is one of the most insanely original films I have ever seen. I saw the trailer and I knew it was going to be weird, but it actually surpassed my expectations. Is it a buddy-comedy? Is it a fantasy or a philosophical statement about life? Let me tell you, it’s all these things […]
Read more
Dope is cool, funny and stylish. It’s blend of entertainment, gritty realism and social satire. It centres around high school senior, Malcolm (Shameik Moore) and his two best buddies, Jib (Tony Revolori) and Diggy (Kiersey Clemons). They’re self-proclaimed “geeks” and obsessed with 90s hip-hop music, culture and fashion. With aspirations to attend Harvard and escape […]
Read more
No film has tackled superheroes as bluntly and as practically, as James Gunn’s Super. It’s nowhere near as entertaining as Kick-Ass, but I admire Gunn for creating a film that is in some respects, a middle finger to the audience. There’s no point to it, but perhaps that’s the point… This dark comedy follows Frank D’Arbo (Rainn […]
Read more
Motion Picture Blog 