Tag Archives: february

The Non-Stop Drinking Game

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Let’s face it. Non-Stop is not an easy film to sit through. But hand me a bottle of Jägermeister (large, please) and an abundance of shot glasses and it would be a different matter entirely. So, for your enjoyment and the promise of your sanity, here’s the rules to the Non-Stop Drinking Game. I’ll meet you on its Home Ent release date with a sleeping bag and a couple of paracetamol. Bottoms up.

DRINK WHENEVER:

– Bill’s family (that’s Neeson, obvs) is threatened.

– An Oscar-winning (or nominated) actor says a line that makes you want to blow your brains out. This includes Scoot McNairy, Corey Stoll and Shea Whigham who totes have it in them to win a gold statue.

– Bar Paly is treated as horrifically generic.

– You are told how much money needs to be transferred.

– The network goes down.

– The network goes up again.

– You’re confused if the network is up or down.

– One of the air hostesses looks like an extra from Star Trek.

– You think you know who the culprit is.

– Expositional dialogue is spoken. Hell, finish your drink.

– You are envious of Lupita’s amazing guns.

– Lady Mary looks concerned.

– You forget this isn’t Taken.

– Lupita says something in a flawless accent and makes everyone else look rubbish. Cheers!

– You laugh at the name of the airline.

– Corey Stoll looks like he means business.

– Bill uses predictive text in a ridiculous way. E.G.: He types out ‘passengers’, but can’t be arsed with something shorter.

– You laugh, but aren’t meant to.

– Shea Whigham is criminally wasted. Again.

– The camera wants you to suspect somebody.

– Someone makes a generic terrorism reference.

– You forgot Linus Roache existed.

– Someone says ‘wanker’. Us Brits can’t stop.

– Julianne Moore makes you question your sexuality. Females only.

– You stop caring.

– Something nonsensical happens. Down your drink, then pour another. Down that one too – you need to get through this somehow.

– The passengers putting their hands in the air look like they’re having more fun than you.

VERDICT: 2/5

Not Quite A Haiku Review: Her (2013)

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I just fell in love.
Is it possible to marry a film?
Siri, please wipe my tears.

Theodore works for Star-Lord, apparently.
Please let me be his Mrs. Twombly.
I like future Los Angeles.

Scarlett’s sultry tones are magnetic.
Kudos to you moving aside, Samantha Morton.
That surrogate shit be cray.

Get excited about future games.
That little cartoon dude begs for abuse.
Everybody loves Mr. Adam Spiegel.

Here’s to Oscar-winning Spike Jonze.
And dedicatees Yauch, Savides, Sendak and Gandolfini.
Don’t go humping the fridge.

VERDICT: 5/5

Review: Cuban Fury (2014)

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***THIS REVIEW WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED AT THE HOLLYWOOD NEWS ON TUESDAY 11TH FEBRUARY, HERE***

Director: James Griffiths.

Starring: Nick Frost, Chris O’Dowd, Kayvan Novak, Rashida Jones, Olivia Colman, Ian McShane, Rory Kinnear.

Certificate: 15.

Running Time: 98 minutes.

SynopsisJunior salsa champion, Bruce (Nick Frost) leaves his dancing dreams behind after a bullying incident goes too far. Bored and stuck in routine, the arrival of beautiful, smart new boss Julia (Rashida Jones) gives him reason to dig out his Cuban heels once more. That is, if sleazy co-worker Drew (Chris O’Dowd) doesn’t get in there first.

Fresh out of The Cornetto Trilogy, Nick Frost swaps ice cream for dancing shoes in a surprisingly relatable story buried under a mountain of sequins. The opening credit narration and quick-fire editing may suggest an Edgar Wright rip-off, but CUBAN FURY delivers far beyond the usual romcom tropes thanks to its brilliant cast and token salsa twist.

Based on an original idea that came to him after a drunken night out, Nick Frost plays Bruce, a former UK salsa champion who locked his trophies away after the horrors of ‘Sequingate’. Though evidently very good at his job, daily abuse from colleague Drew makes it less than enjoyable until new American boss Julia shatters the tedium. Convinced she’s out of his league, a shared love for dance has Bruce egged on by his best friends to win her heart – but getting back on the dance floor is a little more complex than climbing onto his fold up bike. Continue reading

Review: The Lego Movie (2014)

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***THIS REVIEW WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED AT THE HOLLYWOOD NEWS ON MONDAY 10TH FEBRUARY, HERE***

Director: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller.

Starring: Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Morgan Freeman, Will Ferrell, Liam Neeson, Will Arnett, Alison Brie, Charlie Day, Nick Offerman.

Running Time: 100 minutes.

Certificate: U.

Synopsis: When the ordinary, rule-obeying Emmet (Chris Pratt) is mistaken as ‘The Special’, he finds himself battling the evil President Business’ (Will Ferrell) plan to glue the individual Lego worlds together.

Move over Michael Bay. There’s a new type of cinematic mayhem in town and it comes in the form of Lego. After keeping our planet happy for the last sixty-five years, the Danish toy company have gone full blockbuster with a completely bonkers but engaging underdog story that definitely ate all the blue Smarties.

Just like 2009’s CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS, the duo’s second animated feature is heavy on both style and morals. Centering on the very ordinary Emmet, he may lack the crazy invention skills of CLOUDY’s Flint Lockwood, but he is equally trying to minifigure it all out. Perfectly happy with his daily routine, a chance encounter with the mysterious ‘Piece of Resistance’ sees an opportunity to break the monotony and open his eyes to the realities around him. Continue reading

What I’m Watching – February 2014

This list only includes films I watched for the first time this month. My most recent viewing is the top entry.

Labor Day (Dir: Jason Reitman, 2013) ***

Calvary (Dir: John Michael McDonagh, 2014) ****

Muppets Most Wanted (Dir: James Bobin, 2014)

The Raid 2: Berandal (Dir: Gareth Evans, 2014) *****

Ride Along (Dir: Tim Story, 2014) **

The Lego Movie (Dir: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, 2014) ****

Review: Dallas Buyers Club (2013)

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***THIS REVIEW WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED AT THE HOLLYWOOD NEWS ON SUNDAY 2ND FEBRUARY, HERE***

Director: Jean-Marc Vallée.

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Jared Leto, Jennifer Garner, Denis O’Hare, Kevin Rankin, Steve Zahn.

Running Time: 117 minutes.

Certificate: 15.

Synopsis: Hard living redneck Ron Woodroof (Matthew McConaughey) finds his morals and beliefs questioned when diagnosed as HIV-positive. Given thirty days to live, he teams up with transvestite, Rayon (Jared Leto), to help find an alternative to new drug on the block, AZT.

1985 Dallas was not the most accepting of places, with early mockery of “faggot” Rock Hudson’s death setting levels of Texan tolerance incredibly low. In the midst of the name-calling is electrician, Ron Woodroof, who, unbeknownst to him, will soon be subjected to the same taunts from those he calls friends. But this rude awakening sets the part-time rodeo rider on an unwavering path from homophobic bigot to tireless, accepting campaigner.

Woodroof’s debauched, drug-heavy antics lead to the odd blackout or two, but it’s only after an accident at work that the true reason behind them is revealed. After a spectacular outburst of denial, Ron buries his head in library book research, but cocaine-fuelled nights and trips to the strip club are still very much on the cards. Soon realising the American health service offers little more than AZT drug trials that may or may not see him beyond the projected thirty days, Ron begins smuggling untested cocktails of drugs for his physical – and financial – gain. Continue reading

DVD Review: Rust And Bone (2012)

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***THIS REVIEW WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED ON CINEVUE, HERE***

Based on Craig Davidson’s short story collection of the same name, Jacques Audiard’s Rust and Bone (De rouille et d’os, 2012) is a tender, yet visceral piece about the nature of being human. Starring Marion Cotillard as young amputee Stéphanie, and Matthias Schoenaerts as troubled single father Ali, Audiard’s latest may boast incredibly moving performances, but never quite grants us the ability to truly get under the main protagonists’ skin. Continue reading

Because The Oscar Winners Deserve Nothing Less Than A5 Paper

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20 out of 24? I’ll take that.

Win Tickets To See Maniac

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Fancy winning two tickets to the Manchester Premiere of Franck Khalfoun’s remake of Maniac, starring Elijah Wood? Well, luckily I can help you do just that.

The lovely folks over at Grimm Up North have a pair of tickets up for grabs for their event that will be taking place at 7:30pm on Thursday 7th March at the Dancehouse Theatre, Manchester.

As Grimm Up North themselves put it, it’s an unflinchingly fierce and full-blooded re-imagining of William Lustig’s infamous, oft-banned 1980 cult shocker. I was lucky enough to see it last month and can wholeheartedly agree with their opinion that it is challenging, controversial, and confrontational. This is truly a film that takes no prisoners.

You have until 12pm on Wednesday 27th February to enter and all you have to do is comment on this post with a new tagline for the film – think along the lines of ‘Frodo Goes Scalping’. My favourite wins, it’s as simple as that. Just make sure you include your Twitter handle so I can DM the lucky winner!

If you don’t win, fear not, because the first forty people to book through their website will win a limited edition UK quad poster, a copy of Starburst magazine and free entry into their after party!

For more on the event, be sure to check it all out here.

This event is sponsored by Appliances Online.

Introducing The Denzel Washington Cookbook

I’m sure a lot of you are having Oscar-themed parties tonight. If you’re in the UK, your Alex Zane-fuelled excitement will go right into the small hours and if you’re in America, well, it all happens over dinner really, doesn’t it.

It’s tough to stay unpredictable if you host these things year on year, so I thought I’d give you a loving nudge in the right direction for a night that’s sure to be talked about just as much as this year’s Met Ball.

Introducing:

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Other recipes include: Remember the Tiramisu and The Scone Collector.

Because Only The Best Oscar Parties Feature Denzel.

– A massive thank you to Elliott Crossley for the image and D.J. Devereux for being part of the original, inspired conversation we had one day at work.