The Heat is about an uptight FBI Special Agent Sarah Ashburn (Sandra Bullock, presumably channelling her Miss Congeniality gene) and a foul-mouthed Boston cop Shannon Mullins (Melissa McCarthy, no way playing a foul mouthed funny girl? I just don’t believe it!). Inevitably they become best buddies through the course of this film from Paul Feig, director of Bridesmaids. Continue reading
comedy
Silver Linings Playbook OST
With an original score by Danny Elfman this film is being tipped for all sorts of gongs. Elfman’s contribution on this album is worthy and fitting for a film with a theme of romance and mental health issues – or as the yanks like to call it “kookiness”. Continue reading
Smells like wine, sunshine and oysters – Little White Lies
A brilliant actor Guillaume Canet has brought us a magnificent directorial follow up to his 2006 film Tell No One. Little White Lies is written and directed by Canet and he has done a wonderful job of creating real relationships on the screen amongst this group of fine actors. Continue reading
Smells like bleach and honey – The Maid
Set in an upper class neighbourhood in Chile The Maid is a delight. It was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at this year’s Golden Globes and winner of the Grand Jury Prize at last year’s Sundance and it is easy to see why. Continue reading
French Film
Jed (Hugh Bonneville) prepares to interview French filmmaker and self-appointed expert on the nature of love – Thierry Grimandi (Erica Cantona). The worldly and somewhat jaded Jed is dead-set on dismissing the auteur’s musings as pompous and, well French, until his own relationship with Cheryl (Victoria Hamilton) starts to fall apart and he is forced to re-evaluate the illusive subject. Continue reading
Smells like a well-known wood stain – Knight and Day
This summer blockbuster starring Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz has “hate me” written all over it but despite all efforts it’s hard to hate this film. There is indeed some wooden acting and some hokey dialogue and plot points you could fly a plane through but overall this film is a bit R*****l. Continue reading
siren lane 